The heathen’s not efficient;
He sits down in the sun
And doesn’t care a tuppn’y dump
When the day’s work’s begun.
He works to eat and eats to live,
All day he’ll dance and sing;
And if you mention overtime
He laughs like anything.
But we are most efficient!
And, goodness! Look at us!
Our nights are filled with restless dreams,
Our days with fret and fuss.
And we can have depressions
And modern things like that,
And monoplanes and motor cars
And trousers and a hat.
The heathen’s not efficient;
He does not value gold;
And when we’d teach him of its worth
He simply won’t be told.
He’ll hang gold coins about his neck
For foolish ornament,
While half a bread-fruit or a ham
Bring him complete content.
Oh, we are most efficient;
We’d pile up heaps of gold
And leave it to ungrateful heirs
When we descend to mould.
But the heathen’s not efficient;
He is lazy, free, unkempt,
And from the highly civilized
Earns nothing but contempt.
(C J Dennis)
More Poetry from C J Dennis:
C J Dennis Poems based on Topics: Night, Dreams, Gold, Good & Evil, Laziness- Book Contents: Moods Of Ginger Mick (C J Dennis Poems)
- The Rhymes of Sym (C J Dennis Poems)
- The Kid (C J Dennis Poems)
- The Battle Of The Wazzir (C J Dennis Poems)
- Termarter Sorce (C J Dennis Poems)
- Rabbits (C J Dennis Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Night Poems, Dreams Poems, Gold Poems, Good & Evil Poems, Laziness PoemsBased on Keywords: civilized, efficient, unkempt, earns, overtime, bread-fruit, depressions, monoplanes
- The Jamestown Anniversary Ode (James Barron Hope Poems)
- The Demon Of The Study (John Greenleaf Whittier Poems)
- For The Carrier Of The Mirror. 1826 (John Gardiner Calkins Brainard Poems)
- Hymn To Light (Abraham Cowley Poems)
- Upon The Death Of, Mr. Addison; Inscrib'd To The Earl Of Warwick (Nicholas Amhurst Poems)