Bag of Tools

By R. L. Sharpe

Isn't it strange how princes and kings,
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
and common people, like you and me,
are builders for eternity?

Each is given a list of rules;
a shapeless mass; a bag of tools.
And each must fashion, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block, or a Stepping-Stone.

Comments : A friend (Thanks, V) pointed me to this ad for a bank that had a famous person reading Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem ‘If’. I read it, liked it and searched for more such ads on youtube. ‘A bag of tools’ was one of those that turned up on youtube. Loved the poem and loved how Maggie Smith delivered it. - Zen