Living

To touch the cup with eager lips and taste, not to drain it;
To woo and tempt and court a bliss--and not attain it;
To fondle and caress a joy, yet hold it lightly,
Lest it become necessity and cling too tightly;
To watch the sun set in the west without regretting;
To hail its advent in the east--the night forgetting;
To smother care in happiness and grief in laughter;
To hold the present close--not questioning it hereafter;
To have enough to share--to know the joy of giving;
To thrill with all the sweets of life--is living.