Human Frailty

“She is a lovely thing, and frail.”
I failed to catch his drift
But saw the President’s wink.
“I’m sure there’s something we can find
for her to do. Invite her over.”

That was kind, I thought, but felt uneasy.
Why the wink?
I knew his reputation: he was not
Inclined to charity, mere charity.

When the girl came through the door,
I was surprised all the more
To see that she was neither lame, nor model-thin,
Consumptive, timid, pale.
What could “frail” mean that would apply to her?

I found my Webster’s.
Reading it, I understood.
The “frail” that I was thinking of
Is definition number three,
“Physically weak;”
whereas the gists of one and two
are “easily led into evil”
and “easily destroyed.”

Poor girl! How could I warn her?
She would succumb to charm and power
when toyed with,
never to know her own true worth
unless
she could take the high road, seldom chosen.

She was frail.