But at Least I Had a Ball
 
I’ve always loved to sing an’ dance.
   I’m better at the first.
An’ given even half a chance,
   I’m bound to do my worst.
I’ve struggled sometimes with romance,
   succumbed to alcohol,
   but at least I had a ball.
 
I liked to smoke a lot of weed
   an’ hash while in my prime.
I’d barely write an’ hardly read,
   just wasted space an’ time.
I didn’t think that I’d succeed
   with anything at all,
   but at least I had a ball.
 
I did some LSD an’ coke,
   but didn’t dare touch smack.
The people on it weren’t a joke.
   I’ve never sampled crack.
I still enjoy a drink an’ smoke.
   Like everyone, I’ll fall,
   but at least I had a ball.
 
I wasn’t any good at jazz.
   I tried it on trombone.
I’ve stayed away from razzmatazz.
   I’d rather be alone.
I’ll never be as famous as
   that guy from Montreal,
   but at least I had a ball.
 
I found myself in poetry,
   then turned it into song.
I see it as my destiny.
   It’s here that I belong.
I may end up in poverty
   with nobody to call,
   but at least I had a ball.

Duncan Gillies MacLaurin

If you have any thoughts about this poem,   Duncan Gillies MacLaurin would be pleased to hear them