Masks

Is this happening to me?

Blueberry Girl

"Blueberry Girl" 

by Neil Gaiman

Ladies of Light, and Ladies of Darkness,

and Ladies of Never-You-Mind,

This is a prayer for a Blueberry Girl

First: May you Ladies be kind.

Keep her from spindles and sleeps at sixteen;

Let her stay waking and wise.

Nightmares at three, or bad husbands at thirty;

These will not trouble her eyes.

Dull days at forty, false friends at fifteen;

Let her have brave days and truth.

Let her go places that we’ve never been;

Trust and delight in her youth.

Ladies of Grace, and Ladies of Favour,

and Ladies of Merciful Night,

This is a prayer for a Blueberry Girl,

Grant her your clearness of sight.

Words can be worrisome, people complex;

Motives and manners unclear.

Grant her the wisdom to choose her path right,

Free from unkindness and fear.

Let her tell stories, and dance in the rain,

Somersault, tumble, and run;

Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep;

Let her grow like the weed in the sun.

Ladies of Paradox, Ladies of Measure,

Ladies of Shadows-That-Fall,

This is a prayer for a Blueberry Girl,

Words written clear on a wall.

Help her to help herself, help her to stand;

Help her to lose and to find.

Teach her we’re only as big as our dreams;

Show her that fortune is blind.

Truth is a thing she must find for herself,

Precious and rare as a pearl;

Give her all these, and a little bit more,

Gifts for a Blueberry Girl.

Note to Self

"Don't Quit"

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up though the pace seems slow--

You may succeed with another blow,

Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Edgar A. Guest