A Page in my Slum Book
written in 1957, 48 years ago
The title is "To My Son"
I didn't know then that
I would have four sons in a row
and a daughter, too.
So in my mind I modify
the title to
"To My Sons and Daughter."
I thought today is an
opportune time to blog the
poem for the sake of my four sons
and daughter so they can
read my admonition to them
even when they had not yet been
thought of and conceived.
They started coming only in
1960,1962,1965,1972 and 1980,
a span of twenty two years.
And the poem goes:
"If you can live,and make your life worth living,
Do well your work and not neglect your fun,
If you can find your joy as much in giving,
As getting paid for what you may have done;
If you can hold the world at a safe distance,
And pick and choose the way that you would go,
And then hold on with sure but fine insistence,
You'll be a friend that men will come to know.
If you can love and hate in true proportions
The things that go to make or mar a man,
And free your mind of wild and silly notions
And measure up to this as best you can.
If you can do these things and win approval
You'll have more spunk than yellow in your spine,
And I, your Mom will watch with pride unusual
And thank the gods that you are sons
and daughter of mine."
This is a clipped poem written
by Gordon Higham
And up to this point in my life,
it remains
my admonition to my four sons
and daughter.