The Simple Way
John Lea
Said Mr. Wise: “I’m one of those
Who think a short and pleasant doze
Will aid in solving, yea or nay,
Such problems as perplex the day.”
So, sitting in a comfy chair,
He stretched his slippers, then and there,
Toward the fire that glowed and leapt,
And very soon he soundly slept.
He soundly slept, or so he thinks,
For little more than forty winks,
Then rose with more than common might
And went and set the world aright.
To each expectant boy he showed
The shortest and the straightest road
That leads to fortune and to fame
For those who like to play the game.
To all the girls he made it clear
How smiles and patience grace the year,
And how a placid mind will foil
The wear and tear of daily toil.
He settled in the smartest way
The hottest questions of the day,
And, by a magic mode of thought,
So deftly on opinion wrought,
That politicians failed to see
Why they should longer disagree,
And forthwith formed, by joint consent,
One party in our parliament.
In short, his triumphs were so bright
While setting all the world aright,
That when he waked, ’twas sorrow deep
To find the labours of his sleep
Had failed the slightest mark to make
Upon the world he’d left awake.
