Oh, "rorty" was a mid-Victorian word br Which meant "fine, splendid, jolly," br And often to me it has reoccurred br In moments melancholy. br For instance, children, I think it rorty br To be with people over forty. br br I can't say which, come eventide, br More tedious I find; br Competing with the juvenile stride, br Or meeting the juvenile mind. br So I think it rorty, yes, and nifty, br To be with people over fifty. br br The pidgin talk the youthful use br Bypasses conversation. br I can't believe the code they choose br Is a means of communication. br Oh to be with people over sixty br Despite their tendency to prolixty! br br The hours a working parent keeps br Mean less than Latin to them, br Wherefore they disappear in jeeps br Till three and four A.M. br Oh, to be with people you pour a cup for br Instead of people you have to wait up for! br br I've tried to read young mumbling lips br Till I've developed a slant-eye, br And my hearing fails at the constant wails br Of, If I can't, why can't I? br Oh, to be beside a septuagenarian, br Silent upon a peak in Darien! br br They don't know Hagen from Bobby Jones, br They never heard of Al Smith, br Even Red Grange is beyond their range, br And Dempsey is a myth. br Oh golly, to gabble upon the shoulder br Of someone my own age, or even older! br br I'm tired of defining hadn't oughts. br To opposition mulish, br The thoughts of youth are long long thoughts, br And Jingo! Aren't they foolish! br All which is why, in case you've wondered br I'd like a companion aged one hundred.