POEMS
WI5LAWA 5lYMBORSKA
A Contribution to Statis tics
Out of a hundred people
those who always know better
-fifty-two,
doubting every step
-nearly all the rest,
glad to lend a hand
if it doesn't take too long
-as high as forty-nine,
always good
because they can't be otherwise
-four, well maybe five,
able to admire without envy
-eighteen,
suffering illusions
induced by fleeting youth
--sixty, give or take a few,
not to be taken lighdy
-forty and four,
living in constant fear
of someone or something
--seventy-seven,
capable of happiness
-twenty-something tops,
