Suppose

BY PHOEBE CARY

Suppose, my little lady, 

      Your doll should break her head, 

Could you make it whole by crying 

      Till your eyes and nose are red? 

And wouldn’t it be pleasanter 

      To treat it as a joke; 

And say you’re glad “It was Dolly’s 

      And not your head that broke?” 

Suppose you ’re dressed for walking, 

      And the rain comes pouring down, 

Will it clear off any sooner 

      Because you scold and frown? 

And wouldn’t it be nicer 

      For you to smile than pout, 

And so make sunshine in the house 

      When there is none without? 

Suppose your task, my little man, 

      Is very hard to get, 

Will it make it any easier 

      For you to sit and fret? 

And wouldn’t it be wiser 

      Than waiting like a dunce, 

To go to work in earnest 

      And learn the thing at once? 

Suppose that some boys have a horse, 

      And some a coach and pair, 

Will it tire you less while walking 

      To say, “It isn’t fair?” 

And wouldn’t it be nobler 

      To keep your temper sweet, 

And in your heart be thankful 

      You can walk upon your feet? 

And suppose the world don’t please you, 

      Nor the way some people do, 

Do you think the whole creation 

      Will be altered just for you? 

And isn’t it, my boy or girl, 

      The wisest, bravest plan, 

Whatever comes, or doesn’t come, 

      To do the best you can?