The Man in The Glass

Going back a few years now I first came across Dale Winbrow's poem in a book by Wayne Bennett (as much as I'm a blue rather than a maroon, I admire his work) titled "Don't die with the music in you". The title of the book itself speaks volumes to me, and periodically I look to literary works for reassurance. Here it is, as I first saw it:

"When you get what you want in this struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what the man has to say.
For it isn't your father, your mother, or wife,
Whose judgement of you - you must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,
Is the guy staring back in the glass.
He is the man you must please - never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end.
And you have passed your most difficult and dangerous test,
When the man in the glass is your friend,
You can be like another and chisel a plum,
And you think you're 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.
You can fool the whole world, down the pathway of years,
And get pats on your back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartache and tears,
If you've cheated the man in the glass."


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