Poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Passing the Buck

Whatever the task that comes your way,
   Just take it as part of your luck.
Look it right square in the eyes, and say,
’This is my task, I’ll do it to-day’:
   Don’t pass the buck.

Oh! whether you cook, or whether you fight,
   Or whether you trundle a truck,
Just tackle your job and do it right:
   Don’t pass the buck.

The wheels of the earth have gone, alack!
   Deep into war’s mire and muck.
If you want to put it again on its track,
Don’t shift your load on another man’s back:
   Don’t pass the buck.

1. At the Boro Boedoer
2. Sonnets of Sorrow. 18. The wise ones tell me that my heart's wild clamour
3. Applause
4. The Beggar Cat
5. Bless the Babies

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