Misgivings

That night I hit a bar in the West Side.
I was half-drunk, depressed and sad.
Because, you see, my sweet Doris,
That precious glowing gift,

Was gone....forever gone!
She was quite young, Doris was,
Pretty and kind but, above all,
She was joy, pure joy!

(That Sunday afternoon at Central Park she was
Wearing a white hat, white gloves and a white dress....
She had a tender heart, a sweet smile, soft hands.
And, in her child-like way she was in love with me.)

So I told the bartender, “Doris is gone!”
He didn’t know who Doris was but he understood
As bartenders always do. He served me a double
Martini, then I switched to Scotch and drank and talked

About sweet Doris - that absolutely wonderful gift
Which Life had offered me but whom I
In my search for the flesh was unable to appreciate.
You see, I was young, too!
****