To a Baby Born Without Limbs, by Kingsley Amis

After years of thinking and writing about God’s cruelty, I only recently found this casually biting poem.

Finding it was an instance of a great joy I have from time to time.  It is to find out that something I have discovered in my mind or heart has been found by others, sometimes long before.  When I realize it, it’s like seeing footprints on a lonely island.  I feel a rush of joy and connectedness.  But then, I realize, “Of course!  Of course we find the same things!  I’m not crazy, and I’m not alone.”

 

This is just to show you whose boss around here.

It’ll keep you on your toes, so to speak,

Make you put your best foot forward, so to speak,

And give you something to turn your hand to, so to speak.

You can face up to it like a man,

Or snivvle and blubber like a baby.

That’s up to you.  Nothing to do with Me.

If you take it in the right spirit,

You can have a bloody marvelous life,

With the great rewards courage brings,

And the beauty of accepting your LOT.

And think how much good it’ll do your Mum and Dad,

And your Grans and Gramps and the rest of the shower,

To be stopped being complacent.

Make sure they baptise you, though,

In case some murdering bastard

Decides to put you away quick,

Which would send you straight to LIMB-O, ha ha ha.

But just a word in your ear, if you’ve got one.

Mind you DO take this in the right spirit,

And keep a civil tongue in your head about Me.

Because if you DON’T,

I’ve got plenty of other stuff up My sleeve,

Such as Leukemia and polio,

(Which incidentally your welcome to any time,

Whatever spirit you take this in.)

I’ve given you one love-pat, right?

You don’t want another.

So watch it, Jack.