An ode to the young & restless

Of late, the young (KJ) and the restless (MM) have caused a flutter by some of the things they said (or wrote about) which got published in the local English media. I would like to dedicate this delightful poem to both men, for they have provided much food for thought in the stuff that they have churned out in public. May they continue to enlighten us with their insightful thoughts and wise sayings.

SWELLITIS

Someone said he'd done it well,
And presto!
his head began to swell;
Bigger and bigger
the poor thing grew -
A wonder it didn't split in two.

In size
a balloon could scarcely match it;
He need a fishing-pole
to scratch it; -
But six and a half was the size of his hat,
And it rattled around on his head at that!

"Good work," somebody chanced to say,
And his chest
swelled as big as a load of hay.
About himself, like a rooster,
he crowed;
Of his wonderful work
he bragged and blowed.

He marched around
with a peacock strut;
Gigantic to him
was the figure he cut; -
But he wore a very small-sized suit,
And loosely it hung on him,
to boot!

HE was the chap who made things hum!
HE was the drumstick and the drum!
HE was the shirt bosom and the starch!
HE was the keystone in the arch!

HE was the axis of the earth!
Nothing existed before his birth!
But when he was off from work a day,
Nobody knew that he was away!

This is a fact
that is sad to tell:
It's the empty head
that is bound to swell;
It's the light-weight fellow
who soars to the skies,
And bursts like a bubble
before your eyes.

A big man is humbled
by honest praise,
And tries to think of all the ways
To improve his work
and do it well; -
But a little man starts
of himself to yell!

- Joseph Morris