moosmom
08-29-2005, 10:25 AM
I've had this poem in a frame that I've kept for years. No sure who wrote it, as there have been many versions and people claiming credit. But I've hung it in every single apartment I've lived in next to a mirror. Here it is:
The Man In The Glass.
When you get what you want
in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day.
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't you father or mother or wife
Whose judgement upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,
Is the one staring back from the glass.
Some people might think
You're a straight-shootin' chum
And call you a wonderful guy;
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum,
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
He's the fellow to please,
Never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end.
And you've passed your most dangerous,
difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world
down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears,
If you cheated the man in the glass.
The Man In The Glass.
When you get what you want
in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you king for a day.
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't you father or mother or wife
Whose judgement upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,
Is the one staring back from the glass.
Some people might think
You're a straight-shootin' chum
And call you a wonderful guy;
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum,
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
He's the fellow to please,
Never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end.
And you've passed your most dangerous,
difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world
down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears,
If you cheated the man in the glass.