The Superior Folks

From The Seattle Star, September 26, 1913. By Berton Braley.

Let’s get together and tell ourselves
    How superfine we are.
Let’s perch way up on our lofty shelves
    And gaze on life from afar;
Let’s look with scorn on the common herd
    Who toil at a useful job,
Let’s speak of art as a magic word
    And sneer at the busy “mob.”

Let’s speak of faith as an outworn thing,
    Of love as a creed that’s dead.
At everything plain and simple we’ll fling
    A barb with a poisoned head;
Let’s jest at honor and sneer at law
    And chortle at truth as rot,
Till people murmur, “We never saw
    Such a liberal-minded lot.”

And while we jabber and sneer and smirk
    And our words of wisdom fall
The world will trudge to its daily work
    And never will care at all!