Judged by the Company One Keeps

David Burliuk

The Drunkard

Judged by the Company One Keeps

One night in late October,

When I was far from sober,

Returning with my load with manly pride,

My poor feet began to stutter,

So I lay down in the gutter,

And a pig came near and lay down by my side;

Then we sang "It's all fair weather
when good fellows get together",
Till a lady passing by was heard to say:

"You can tell a man who boozes,

By the company he chooses",

And the pig got up and slowly walked away.

~ Frequently attributed to Benjamin Hapgood Burt ~