An Ongoing Conversation on Poetry

An Ongoing Conversation on Poetry
Oxford Union Library, Oxford University

Friday, March 26, 2010

Good Night and Good Luck



Good Night and Good Luck
Christopher Bogart

Remember when we were kids,
And a dollar a week made you a lucky duck?
(And being teacher’s pet made you a lucky dog?)

Winning at games then was considered beginner’s luck.
Or was it sour grapes?

Getting Kathleen O’Brien to go with you to the Prom
Could be considered the luck of the Irish if you were Irish.
I was not. But as luck would have it,
I got to go with her sister Maureen.
Was that just dumb luck?

I’m never sure.
Is dumb luck silent?
Or just stupid?

For that matter, how can luck be good and bad?
Is dying of lung cancer really a Lucky Strike?

What’s so lucky about seven,
When eight is more?

If I have to thank my lucky stars,
Which stars would they be:
The Big Dipper or The Big Bopper?

Is Elton John a lucky sod because he is rich and knighted?
Or for other reasons?

What makes any day my lucky day?
Winning a raffle?
Winning the lottery?
Winning a Pulitzer?
No such luck!

Are people who are lucky at cards really unlucky in love?
And is that why I don’t see Ben Affleck and Tom Cruise on “Celebrity Poker”?

With a little bit of effort
And a little bit of pluck,
I’m forced to agree with Yoda,
There’s no such thing as luck.

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