Inventory
Four be the things I am wiser to know:
Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe.
Four be the things I’d been better without:
Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.
Three be the things I shall never attain:
Envy, content, and sufficient champagne.
Three be the things I shall have till I die:
Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye.
Credit
From Enough Rope (Boni & Liveright, 1926) by Dorothy Parker. This poem is in the public domain.
Author
Dorothy Parker
A founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, Dorothy Parker's work was known for its scathing wit and intellectual commentary
Date Published
01/01/1926