Published on Academy of American Poets (https://poets.org)

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: 1926-01-01

Source URL: https://poets.org/poem/inventory