WHEN
by John T. Baker
When duty now demands a larger slice
Of your depleting time and makes you gird
Up for renewed and  greater sacrifice
And all your prayers for surcease go unheard;

When what was simple now gets out of hand,
Impelling you to desperation’s rim,
And you can never really understand
Why all your prospects lately seem so grim;

When friends no longer lovingly condole
And dreams once vivid all begin to fade,
With everything  beyond your own control,
Your problems unresolved, your debts unpaid;

It’s then you tend to change your point of view
And wonder what the hell’s in store for you.