Strong men do not converse hold,

Even with the best of friends.

Readiness is in locution

To loss of power tends.

 

You never know what the other man

May hold up his sleeve.

A word spoken in excess

May find no reprieve.

 

It is best to keep record

Of every syllable spoken.

A man rashly misquoted

May well be a man broken.

 

Ah the days when we prized

Vulnerability in friends;

When room for weak averments

Was proof of dear amends.

 

The least yield may now bespeak

Unfitness for rule.

The tenderest man may now declare

Himself an anachronistic fool.

 

Friendships now are purposive,

Not mushy, soulful things.

They keep an eye on the clock

That advancement rings

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