Things You Must Never Do

By John Herlihy

Never betray a trust for some undue advantage,

Unless you seek to lose your friend’s vantage.

Never make a promise that you cannot keep,

The result may be a sorrow to make you weep.

Never look askance but opt to look in the eyes,

They speak to you directly and never tell lies.

Never exaggerate when a simple truth will do,

Pursue dreams and expect them to come true .

Never shun a mystery that is never revealed,

Its question protects insights never concealed.

Never presume to know what the future brings,

It arrives on its own accord as the wind sings.

Never tell a secret that you have vowed to hold,

The secret may reveal other than what was told.

Never squander the wealth that we deserved,

Always treasures the moments we preserved.

Never give up the patience as long as we wait,

Satisfaction arrives when we begin to partake.

Never forget things that happened as first times,

They glow in our memory and echo in rhymes.

 Never forget the intimate friend by your side,

Betrayal a treachery a friend will never abide.

Never accept a rare kindness from a cruel person,

Their goodwill a false tide, their behavior will worsen.

Never accept the flattery of a preening face,

Their vanity, its brother, will always take its place.

In life we always need to take particular care,

Never try to make a perfect circle into a square.