Don't Waste A Curse On The Universe

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

We are grateful to Rupali Bhuva for offering this hand-made painting for this reading.

Don't look for the flaws as you go through life;
   And even when you find them,
It is wise and kind to be somewhat blind
   And look for the virtue behind them.
For the cloudiest night has a hint of light
   Somewhere in its shadows hiding;
It is better by far to hunt for a star,
   Than the spots on the sun abiding.

The current of life runs ever away
   To the bosom of God's great ocean.
Don't set your force 'gainst the river's course
   And think to alter its motion.
Don't waste a curse on the universe--
   Remember it lived before you.
Don't butt at the storm with your puny form,
   But bend and let it go o'er you.

The world will never adjust itself
   To suit your whims to the letter.
Some things must go wrong your whole life long,
   And the sooner you know it the better.
It is folly to fight with the Infinite,
   And go under at last in the wrestle;
The wiser man shapes into God's plan
   As water shapes into a vessel.
 

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Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) was an American author and poet. Her works include Solitude, which contains the famous line "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone."