Old Stuff

If I go to see the play,
    Of the story I am certain;
Promptly it gets under way
    With the lifting of the curtain.
Builded all that's said and done
    On the ancient recipe -
'Tis the same old Two and One:
    A and B in love with C.

If I read the latest book,
    There's the mossy situation;
One may confidently look
    For the trite triangulation.
Old as time, but ever new,
    Seemingly, this tale of Three -
Same old yarn of One and Two:
    A and C in love with B.

If I cast my eyes around,
    Far and near and middle distance,
Still the formula is found
    In our everyday existence.
Everywhere I look I see -
    Fact or fiction, life or play -
Still the little game of Three:
    B and C in love with A.

While the ancient law fulfills,
    Myriad moons shall wane and wax.
Jack must have his pair of Jills,
    Jill must have her pair of Jacks.

            Bert Leston Taylor.

Bert Leston Taylor

Bert Leston Taylor

Bert Leston Taylor (November 13, 1866 – March 19, 1921) was an American columnist, humorist, poet, and author. Taylor was widely recognized for his witty and humorous writing style, which earned him a place among popular American writers of his time. He contributed regularly to well-known periodicals and is remembered for his column 'A Line o' Type or Two'. Taylor's legacy endures through his clever use of language and his influence on early 20th-century American literature.

Bert Leston Taylor

English

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