William Chaplar Poems

If the English language was indeed one without flaws,
inlaws—once the divorce was final—would become outlaws.
There'd be a whole new way for us to spell words such as sleigh.
And none would be confused when they looked at the word croquet.
...

America, America, sweet land of liberty.
But how could you so easily condone captivity?
Abolition was the call for half the citizenry.
The other half seemed well content with gross iniquity.
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Your portly sister asks you if her dress makes her look fat.
I'm sorry, but there's just one way for you to answer that.
"Yes! " must be your abrupt reply, though it might cause dismay.
'Cause if you don't say what you mean, you can't mean what you say.
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Because adolescence is inopportune,
too many are trying to grow up too soon.
Instead of believing that your life's a flop,
try remembering where you were when the laughter stopped.
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Why does no one cite Leviticus?
Didn't it have things to say?
People spend the live-long day
repeating what John had to say.
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A marathoner starts a race but quits after a mile,
and people ask why he so poorly fared.
It doesn't take a genius or that awfully long a while
for all to see that he was not prepared.
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The world that we live in will not be so wild
in the lifetime of my sister's child.
With the planet, our species will be reconciled
in the lifetime of my sister's child.
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From whole-grain bread and grapefruit juice to broccoli and kale,
foods such as these are guaranteed to make your diet fail.
'Cause healthy food, for most of us, is real hard to abide.
And yet, to add years to your life, you start from the inside.
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Now that you're turning twenty-one, I'm sure you understand
that, chronologically, the world now views you as a man.
Since most maintain their own concept of what a man should be,
perhaps it's time you understood what that word means to me.
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My friend's name is Nora; she's all alone.
She lives at the group home, 'cause her family's gone.
And everyone there tries to see her side,
But Nora she has lost her will to fly.
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