Page 58 - Poetry-Books
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A Purpose
It is good to have a purpose;
I approve of it, of course;
All the people who have purposes
I cordially indorse;
But there’s one especial purpose
Which has struck me with much force.
It is not my own, this purpose—
It is very far indeed
From a personal possession,
Or I surely should not need
To make mention of it sadly,
Or to give it any heed.
‘T is a sort of general purpose,
Owned by several witnesses;
‘T is no doubt a lofty purpose,
But the mystery is this:
That, full often as I’ve heard of it,
I don’t know what it is!
I have only seen its shadow
On the wrong side of the screen
Which veils it from the public;
Now, what may this shadow mean?
‘Tis— “Not suited to the purpose
Of the --------------- Magazine.”
— Margaret Vandegrift (Century Magazine, 1889)
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