The Derelict Poem by John Yaws

You see me here, a derelict-
Not much to see it's true.
But once my lad, I too was clad
And better far than you.
These pockets, now, contain no coin
I once had wealth indeed-
Not once in passing did I shun
A stranger who had need.
And friends? well, maybe they weren't friends
But at my beck and call-
I had some mighty wealthy men
As well as very small.
How came my gain? I owned a train-
The whole railroad in fact.
And men like Astor were my peers
Until I finally cracked-
What's that you say? What do I mean?
I really lost my mind-
Forsook my friends, and fortune
A true love for to find..
And find her? tell the world I did-
The lady drove me mad....
She gave me favor, gave me smiles
I gave her all I had....
But fortune cannot purchase love
And love can't be assuaged
And since she left I sit bereft
A melancholy sage..
The moral? If it be so called-
Is "Look before you leap"...
And rest assured, that which you sow
Is what you'll also reap.