A Belloc
Chew the gum of no tree
sweetened with sugar or mint
rather, child, resist
the vile condiment.
Ground between the teeth
or wadded in the cheek
a lady chewing gum appears
in contest with a sheep.
While cousin to a goat
appears the feckless youth
unseemly and uncouth
who cracks it in his mouth.
Gum snapped on the train
or maybe on the bus
will soon disgust your fellow men
and alienate us.
And though the dentist fume
your father will commend thee
you frugal mother smile
to see thee caries-free.
Never, thoughtful child,
take up the habit of it
burn frankincense or myrrh
but quit gum-Arabic.
poem by Morgan Michaels
Added by Poetry Lover
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