Fast and Foolish
written by: Michael Ball
The teacher, preacher and mentor
each praises the quickest answer,
even if it is incomplete or wrong.
Fast makes their lives easier.
First is often worst,
though hiding as cleverness.
The Fleet and foolish know nothing else
as they hear how smart they are while
their peers ponder mutely and still.
Woe to those poisoned by the praise
of glib celerity. The curse of sly speed.
Instead, they need to let wit and wisdom
rain down and reign thoughts and words.
Swiftness is but one virtue, and the weakest.
Michael Ball scrambled from daily and weekly papers through business and technical pubs. Satisfaction and feeling like a writer came through blogging and podcasting, mostly political. Born in OK and raised in rural WV, he became more citified in Manhattan and Boston. He joined the Hyde Park Poets Workshop two years ago, and will never again write a manual or help system. He has moderate success placing poems in print and online.
Latest posts by Michael Ball (see all)
- Fast and Foolish - May 18, 2026
- Hippo Ballet - September 9, 2025
- Penn Station Lust - April 25, 2025
