Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I know it is a sin
For me to sit and grin
At him here;
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I know it is a sin
For me to sit and grin
At him here;
But the old three-cornered hat
And the breeches and all that
Are so queer.

The hat is the ultimatum moriens of respectability.

The hat is the ultimatum moriens of respectability.

Ay, here her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has read more

Ay, here her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky.

Beware how you take away hope from another human being.

Beware how you take away hope from another human being.

The crack-brained bobolink courts his crazy mate,
Poised on a bulrush tipsy with his weight.

The crack-brained bobolink courts his crazy mate,
Poised on a bulrush tipsy with his weight.