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Just the Moment

Embarrassments,
Are inevitable; they bring out the joy in dignity,
The pride in stoicism, the charity of clarity.
So let us pick moments,
That confer this indefatigable joy on us,
And dwell on them with much primness.
We don't want to create another such moment.

Rule Number 1: Embarrass yourself, if
You have to,someone.
Let people talk about you in any strain,
Let them cast on your character any refrain.
While you eavesdrop silently, gulping down anger,
Rather than reappearing valiantly to embarrass the stranger.

Rule Number 2: Let them praise you, duly and unduly;
When unduly, keep denying the praise,
When duly, also, keep denying the praise,
The second seals the bargain, it's the cream on the cake.
Smile, blush, assent at the end,
It will severe rather than make amends.

Rule Number 3: When you intend to praise someone,
Just stop short at the most ill-timed moment, and
Temper your compliment into a casual remark,
Smooth and cool as the Niagara Falls!
Bite your lip, grimace with pain,
As you watch your effort towards amicability go in vain.

Rule Number 4: When asked to speak, swallow your words,
Just freeze, stay frozen, don't allow them to thaw it.
Keep staring into the blank that you drew in your mind,
Keep lying in wait, in silence, for them to remind,
You of your indifference, and jerk you out of your reverie.
Then loosen the grip of your eyes on the blank,
And bring yourself out of that fictitious trance,
As if you'd just ended a splendid dance,
Dully inquire, "What?" in the world sans romance,
With all your self-control and dignity relinquished,
Mission Accomplished.

Rule Number 5: If you wish to achieve, by the Lord's ill-wishes,
An outcome alternate, I give you leave that to do,
If you wish to decorate yourself with riches,
And respect, repute, dignity, bonhomie, Adieu,
But the charity in me won't die away so soon,
So I'll give you a little tip, from my side a boon,
If you wish to embarrass not you, but all the others in the room,
All you have to apply is inverting each rule.
Oh, it's just the thought that moment,
It's the impetuosity that moment,
That can turn it whichever way you will it.
It's a matter of the moment.
Just the Moment.

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