1/26/09

The Gambler


The gambler gazed heavenward.
"Lord, help me win this hand,
And I will NEVER gamble again!"
His take he did publicly attribute
To his newfound "Lucky Prayer."

The Optimist

"Half empty, or half full?" he asked.
My mind fixed on his glass.
I might have merely answered him,
And let the moment pass.
But this simplistic query has
That sophomoric hue,
And thus my mouth began to speak
What my mind began to do.

"Your glass grows somewhat wider, sir,
As t'ward the top you go.
I suppose you mean by volume and
This formula you know:
One-third pi times r-squared h
Less the portion left unseen.
And thus your line made halfway up
Does not quite lie 'between.'

"Or if perchance your measurement
Is from the table up,
A closer look will help you see
The thick base of your cup.
Thus if your half-way line is found
By simply halving height
You'll need the ruler in the glass
to get its placement right."

Not amused, he thus reproved,
"Don't trifle with equation.
I'm set to learn your view on life
From this interpretation."
I added water, 'til it spilled,
And then I poured some more.
"My view on life, my kindly friend,
Is a cup that runneth o'er."