'Born Yesterday' by Philip Larkin

Two for the price of one this week for the excuse to promote this favourite Larkin poem - and end the week on another hopeful note for younger people!!

 Congratulations to Judith and John plus Berni and Neil on the advent of their new grand-daughters. May they both learn a lot about the  'catching of happiness'.

Born Yesterday

 Tightly folded bud,
I have wished you something
None of the others would:
Not the usual stuff
About being beautiful,
Or running off a spring
Of innocence and love -
They will all wish you that,
And should it prove possible, 
Well, you're a lucky girl.

 But if it shouldn't, then
May you be ordinary;
Have, like other women,
An average of talents:
Not ugly, not good looking,
Nothing uncustomary
To pull you off your balance,
That, unworkable itself,
Stops all the rest from working.
In fact, may you be dull -
If that is what a skilled,
Vigilant, flexible,
Unemphasized, enthralled 

Catching of of happiness is called




Not a family man himself of course, there is something a bit unfortunate about this photograph: you would only ask him to babysit if Himmler couldn't make it because of a quiz night down the pub.

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