Future Bright

The young man from St. Bees, his future bright,
Has always seen the best in people, true,
But he is not an optimist: each night
He checks the door locks and the chimney flue.
His motto is Once stung, forever shy,
And he’s been stung. But he’s been fortunate,
Freed from the worst of neighbours dropping by:
The glad, the clammy, the importunate.
A styptic pencil’s on the pantry shelf,
To hand for accidents and unplanned slips.
He has no allergies, and spares himself
The griefs of gambling and relationships.
There was a time when he was bold and daring,
A time long vanished, as he found it wearing.