For My Brother, On His Birthday

For my brother, on his birthday,
I was generous and kind.
As his sister, I was glad to get
the best things I could find.

I was sure he'd want a tutu
and a purple mini-skirt,
with some ballerina slippers
and a sequin-covered shirt.

I expected he'd want lots of dolls.
I knew he'd need a bike,
so I picked a pink and sparkly one
I figured he would like.

I selected a tiara
like a princess ought to wear,
plus a bunch of bows and ribbons
and some scrunchies for his hair.

I'm aware I'm much too generous
with presents but, you see,
he deserves it. On my birthday
he bought baseball cards for me.

–Kenn Nesbitt

Don't quit

by: Unknown Author

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out:
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.