WATCHMEN

Six of us were your guards, slayers of fear,

Humor, the parti-colored, juggling knives,

Rhyme with a sonnet train of elfin wives,

Friendship, as solid-indolent as beer;

Love with his harp you thought a trifle queer,

But most amusing—if he walked in gyves.

Trust and myself made pillows of our lives.

And so you bore with us for quite a year.

You wearied. Humor twinkled to a star.

Rhyme turned a broker and began to add.

I’m sure that Friendship went entirely mad;

And Love crept stalely drunk from bar to bar.

Only remained the bald old dog, blind Trust

And I—and we shall growl till both are dust.