I Did Not Think
Enjoy this short poem by Edgar A Guest. In his usual charming way the Poet reminds us of two very common phrases that we all sometimes use too much. We find the verses inspirational and we hope you enjoy this short poetry.Poet: Edgar A. Guest
The weakest excuses of all the lot
Are: "I didn't think" and "I forgot."
Worn and weary and haggered and pale,
They follow the path of the men who fail-
In thread-bare raiment from place to place
They’ve dogged the steps of the human race.
In most of the blunders which men have made
This pitiful pair a part have played.
A man cries out on disaster's brink:
"I should have stopped but I didn't think!"
Was the barn door locked last night? 'Twas not.
And somebody mutters: "Oh, I forgot!"
Since Adam and Eve and the world began,
This pair have followed the trail of man.
The commonest phrases in printer’s ink
Are "I forgot" and "I didn’t think."
Yet man will think if a pleasure calls,
And there isn’t a doubt that he recalls
The promise another has made to him;
And a boy will think that he wants to swim,
And the chances are that he won't forget
That he mustn't come home with his hair all wet.
It's strange, but duty is all I find
That every escapes from a failure’s mind.
Search the burdens which men must bear
And you’ll find the tracks of this precious pair.
With needless trouble this world they've filled,
And who can measure the tears they've spilled?
"I forgot" has wrecked ship and train,
"I didn’t think" has caused endless pain,
And God must smile, as He sees us sink,
At our "I forgot" and "I didn’t think."