How kind people are!
How few in the crowd truly hope
the tightrope will break.
Rare’s the man who’ll shoot the Pope
or throw his shoe at a liar,
though joining in — that’s natural.
An audience of St. Paul’s sparrows
is easily bored, easily frightened.
One blasphemy and off they fly.
Even a polite dog will snore
through reprimands,
though he’ll rouse to follow
the refreshments with a calculating eye.
But people, especially Minnesotans,
pull their sleeves over their watches
and want to find a way to like you.
If they can sit through winter’s sermons,
they can sit through you.