'This Is Just to Say' by William Carlos Williams 

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which 
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold 








To laugh often and much, To win the respect of 
intelligent people and the affection of children... 
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure 
the betrayal of false friends. 
To appreciate beauty. To find the best in others. 
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition... 

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. 
This is to have succeeded. 

-Emmerson