The Wine Of Life Poem by Cicely Fox Smith

'When I've left off carin' the way I do,
For the things that's old an' the things that's new,
For the things that's happenin' every minute,
An' all the sights as the world's got in it;
When I've got no manner of use no more
For a song an' a yarn with my pals ashore;
When a ship's no more than a ship to me
An' there's nowhere left as I want to see;
When the fun's all flat an' the jokes all stale,
An' there ain't no taste in the cakes an' the ale -
You can stitch me up as soon as you like
In a corner o' wore-out sail,' said Mike,
'With 'olystones at my 'eels and 'ead,
An' dollop me overboard - I'll be dead!'