﻿The “Half of It”

By T-BONE SLIM

She fell and fell and fell and FELL——”
They all saw her capsizing!
But I saw more, I hope to tell—
Indeed, I saw her rising.

I didn’t see her fall, at all—
And “down,” like others blather;
I saw her rise, against the wall!
I didn’t see her stagger.

I saw her rise and rise and rise—
Such is my testimony—
The others need a pair of eyes,
They and their eyes are phony.

Cheap skates! the “nuts” who only see
The Fall, the WHINE, the grumble
And make of them a melody——
I never saw her tumble.

I never saw her take the spill;
The fall to me was “curtained”
I only saw the “hope,” the will
To rise the more determined!

Observing sirs, please do recall
She STOOD— before capsizing;
In fact, so oft she couldn’t fall
Unless she kept arising.

She did, she does, she will again
Rise up in all her splendor
And heal the ailing eyes of men—
Excuse me and her gender.
