Classic Poem

MANICURIST

Maudlin, hurt, morose,
Tender, angry, remote,
Whimsical, frigid, impatient —
Compel these adjectives to become
Friendly to each other
And let them stumble in unison
Beneath the muscular trouble of life.
The careful Boss who sends them on
Holds one eye of bitterness
And another of sentimentality,
Closing each one on different occasions.
The careful Boss may be your soul,
Tired manicurist, amazing
The fragrant barber-shop
With words of valiant prose.
Ferretti, the mildly dying barber,
Loves his bald head with one finger
And whispers, " She's crazy, I fire her tomorrow.
When customer ask her to eat with him
She laugh and tell him she no care
To pay too much for indigestion.
She's crazy. I fire her tomorrow. "
Ferretti does not know
That souls are not entirely unconcerned
With straining for effects.