QUIET THINGS These I have loved with passion, loved them long: The house that stands when the building hammers cease, After wild syncopation, a sane song, A tree that straightens after the winds' release, The cool green stillness of an April wood, A silver pool, unruffled by the breeze, The clean expanse of a prairie's solitude, And calm, unhurried hours-I love these. I have been tangled in the nets too long; I shall escape and find my way again Back to the quiet place where I belong, Far from the tinseled provinces of men. These will be waiting after my release: The sheltered ways, the quiet ways of peace. --GRACE NOLL CROWELL

Old mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard to get her poor dog a bone But when she bent over Old "Rover" took over and gave her a bone of his own author unknown

"Something has spoken to me in the night, burning the tapers of the waning year; something has spoken in the night, and told me I shall die, I know not where. Saying: "To lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have for greater life; to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving; to find a land more kind than home, more large than earth. Whereon the pillars of this earth are founded, toward which the conscience of the world is tending - a wind is rising, and the rivers flow." From "You can't go Home Again" Thomas Wolfe

Though i never wrote it, i'd like to dedicate this poem to all my AB friends. ♥ To Touch The Heart ♥ (by m.garren) To touch the heart of someone dear though it might sometimes cause a tear to fall or rest upon the cheek should be something all should seek. For often hearts not touched at all start hardening and shrinking small and then the time it takes to grow a loving heart is very slow. For hearts expand as those who care extend their love and let us share a moment, space or special phrase that eases pain on dreary days or simply starts our lips to smile and brightens time for just a while. The ways and kinds and means of sharing it seems to me are based on caring and though we're often worlds apart you still can touch my very heart. You make me smile or shed a tear and I'll remember year to year just how your touching helped me grow and I just thought I'd tell you so.

Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark! And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark; For though from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

The spirit of the forest helps heal the broken heart, and mends the fabric of the mind. And on some velvet morning, You may hear it calling, Echoing in the secret caches of your mind. In death they become one again, with the rock, bird, insect, and mountain. They come to a mystical time, Outside of time - Where all things are united And in perfect harmony, Dreamtime -

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that never blooms but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers; thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where 'I' does not exist, nor 'you', so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep. Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda

........The Don't Quit Poem...... When things go wrong.as they sometimes will, When the road your trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are High, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest,, if you must,,BUT DON'T QUIT. . . Life is Queer with its twists,and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow- You may succeed with another Blow. . . Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor's cup, And he learned too late when the night slipped down, How close he was to the crown, . . Success is failure turned inside out- the silver tint of the clouds of doubt, and you never can tell how close you are, it may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit- it's when things seem worst that You MUST NOT QUIT.;)!!

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with a passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, -- I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The Great Smoke Off by Shel Silverstein, from the album "Songs and Stories" Now in the laid-back California town of sunny San Rafael Lived a girl named Pearly Sweetcake - you probably know her well She was stoned 15 of her 18 years, and her story was widely told that she could smoke them faster than anyone can roll Well, her legend finally reached New York, that Grove Street walk-up flat where dwelt the Calistoga Kid, a beatnik from the past He's been rolling dope since time began, now he took a cultured toke and said "Jim, I can roll them faster than any CHICK can smoke" So a note gets sent to San Rafael for the championship of the world the Kid demands a smoke-off; "Well bring him on!" says Pearl "I'll grind his fingers off his hands! He'll roll until he drops!" says Calistog, "I'll smoke that chick till she blows up and pops". So they rent out Yankee Stadium, and the word is quickly spread come one, come all, who walk or crawl, tickets just two lids a head and from every town and hamlet, over land and sea they speed the world's greatest dopers, with the world's greatest weed. Hashishins from Morocco, hemp smokers from Peru and the Shashniks from Bagun (who smoke the deadly Pu-ga-ru) and those who call it "light of life" and those that call it "boo". See the dealers and their ladies, wearing turquoise lace and leather See the narcos and the closet smokers, puffing all together from the teenies who smoke legal, to the ones who've done some time to the old man who smoked "reefer", back before it was a crime. And the grand old House That Ruth Built is filled with the smokes and cries of fifty thousand screaming heads, all stoned out of their minds. And they play the national anthem, and the crowd lets out a roar as the spotlight hits the Kid and Pearl, ready for their smoking war. At a table piled up high with grass, as high as a mountain peak just tops and buds of the rarest flowers, not one stem branch or seed I mean, Maui Wowie, Panama Red, Acapulco Gold Kif from East Afghanistan, and that rare Alaska Cold and there's sticks from Thailand, ganj from the island, and Bangkok's blooming best (and some of that wet imported shit that capsized off Key West). There's Oaxacan tops and Kenya bhang, and Riviera fleurs and that rare Manhattan Silver, that grows down in the New York sewers. And there's bubbling ice cold lemonade, and sweet grapes by the bunches and there's Hershey bars and Oreos (in case anybody gets the munches) And the Calistoga Kid he smiles, and Pearly she just grins :-) and the drums roll low, and the crowd yells "GO GO GO!!" and the world's first smoke-off begins. Well, the Kid he flicks his fingers once, and ZAP that first joint's rolled Pearl takes one toke with her famous lungs, and WHOOSH that roach is cold Then the Kid he rolls his super-bomb, that would paralyze a moose and Pearl takes one mighty hit, and ...... that bomb's defused and then he rolls three in just ten seconds, and she smokes them up in nine and everybody sits back and says "Hey.... this just might take some time" See the blur of flying fingers, see the red coal burning bright as the night turns into morning, and the morning fades to night and the autumn turns to summer, and a whole damn YEAR is gone and the two still sit, on that roach-filled stage, smoking, and rolling With trembling hands he rolls his Js, with fingers blue and stiff She coughs and stares with bloodshot gaze, and puffs through blistered lips And as she reaches out her hand for another stick of gold the Kid, he gasps, "Damn it, bitch! There's nothing left to roll!" "NOTHING LEFT TO ROLL!" screams Pearl. "IS THIS SOME TWISTED JOKE?" "I DIDN'T COME HERE TO Fuck AROUND, MAN, I COME HERE TO SMOKE!" And she reaches 'cross the table and grabs his bony sleeves and crumbles his body between her hands, like dry and brittle leaves flicking out his teeth and bones like useless stems and seeds Then she rolls him in a Zig-zag, and lights him like a roach and the fastest man, with the fastest hands, goes up in a puff of smoke. In the laid-back California town of sunny San Rafael Lives a girl named Pearly Sweetcake - you probably know her well She been stoned 21 of her 24 years, and her story is still widely told how she still can smoke them faster than any dude can roll While, off in New York City, on a street that has no name there's the hands of the Calistoga Kid, in the Viper Hall of Fame and underneath his fingers, there's a little golden scroll that says "Beware of being the roller When there's nothing left to roll". __________ The Perfect High - a poem by Shel Silverstein There once was a boy named Gimme-Some-Roy... He was nothin' like me or you, 'cause laying back and getting high was all he cared to do. As a kid, he sat in the cellar...sniffing airplane glue. And then he smoked banana peels, when that was the thing to do. He tried aspirin in Coca-Cola, he breathed helium on the sly, and his life became an endless search to find the perfect high. But grass just made him wanna lay back and eat chocolate-chip pizza all night, and the great things he wrote when he was stoned looked like shit in the morning light. Speed made him wanna rap all day, reds laid him too far back, Cocaine-Rose was sweet to his nose, but the price nearly broke his back. He tried PCP, he tried THC, but they never quite did the trick. Poppers nearly blew his heart, mushrooms made him sick. Acid made him see the light, but he couldn't remember it long. Hash was a little too weak, and smack was a lot too strong. Quaaludes made him stumble, booze just made him cry. Then he heard of a cat named Baba Fats who knew of the perfect high. Now, Baba Fats was a hermit cat...lived high up in Nepal, High on a craggy mountain top, up a sheer and icy wall. "Well, hell!" says Roy, "I'm a healthy boy, and I'll crawl or climb or fly, Till I find that guru who'll give me the clue as to what's the perfect high." So out and off goes Gimme-Some-Roy, to the land that knows no time, Up a trail no man could conquer, to a cliff no man could climb. For fourteen years he climbed that cliff...back down again he'd slide . . . He'd sit and cry, then climb some more, pursuing the perfect high. Grinding his teeth, coughing blood, aching and shaking and weak, Starving and sore, bleeding and tore, he reaches the mountain peak. And his eyes blink red like a snow-blind wolf, and he snarls the snarl of a rat, As there in repose, and wearing no clothes, sits the god-like Baba Fats. "What's happenin', Fats?" says Roy with joy, "I've come to state my biz . . . I hear you're hip to the perfect trip... Please tell me what it is. "For you can see," says Roy to he, "I'm about to die, So for my last ride, tell me, how can I achieve the perfect high?" "Well, dog my cats!" says Baba Fats. "Another burned out soul, Who's lookin' for an alchemist to turn his trip to gold. It isn't in a dealer's stash, or on a druggist's shelf... Son, if you would find the perfect high, find it in yourself." "Why, you jive mother-fucker!" says Roy, "I climbed through rain and sleet, I froze three fingers off my hands, and four toes off my feet! I braved the lair of the polar bear, I've tasted the maggot's kiss. Now, you tell me the high is in myself? What kinda shit is this? My ears, before they froze off," says Roy, "had heard all kinda crap; But I didn't climb for fourteen years to hear your sophomore rap. And I didn't climb up here to hear that the high is on the natch, So you tell me where the real stuff is, or I'll kill your guru ass!" "Okay...okay," says Baba Fats, "You're forcin' it outta me... There is a land beyond the sun that's known as Zabolee. A wretched land of stone and sand, where snakes and buzzards scream, And in this devil's garden blooms the mystic Tzutzu tree. Now, once every ten years it blooms one flower, as white as the Key West sky, And he who eats of the Tzutzu flower shall know the perfect high. For the rush comes on like a tidal wave...hits like the blazin' sun. And the high? It lasts forever, and the down don't never come. But, Zabolee Land is ruled by a giant, who stands twelve cubits high, And with eyes of red in his hundred heads, he awaits the passer-by. And you must slay the red-eyed giant, and swim the river of slime, Where the mucous beasts await to feast on those who journey by. And if you slay the giant and beasts, and swim the slimy sea, There's a blood-drinking witch who sharpens her teeth as she guards the Tzutzu tree." "Well, to hell with your witches and giants," says Roy, "To hell with the beasts of the sea-- Why, as long as the Tzutzu flower still blooms, hope still blooms for me." And with tears of joy in his sun-blind eyes, he slips the guru a five, And crawls back down the mountainside, pursuing the perfect high. "Well, that is that," says Baba Fats, sitting back down on his stone, Facing another thousand years of talking to God, alone. "Yes, Lord, it's always the same...old men or bright-eyed youth... It's always easier to sell 'em some shit than it is to give them the truth." __________ Ferengi Rules of Acquisition Rule #1 - Once you have their money, you never give it back. Rule #2 - The best deal is the one that brings the most profit. Rule #3 - Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to. Rule #4 - Time and Latinum are precious. Rule #5 - Always exaggerate your estimate. Rule #6 - Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity. Rule #7 - Keep your ears open. Rule #8 - Small print leads to large risk. Rule #9 - Opportunity plus instinct equals profit. Rule #10 - Greed is eternal. Rule #11 - Even if it's free, you can always buy it cheaper. Rule #12 - Anything worth selling is worth selling twice. Rule #13 - Anything worth doing is worth doing for money. Rule #14 - Keep your family close; keep your Latinum closer. Rule #15 - Dead men close no deals. Rule #16 - A deal is a deal, until a better one comes along. Rule #17 - A contract is a contract is a contract - but only between Ferengi. Rule #18 - A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all. Rule #19 - Satisfaction is not guaranteed. Rule #20 - He who dives under the table today, lives to profit tomorrow. Rule #21 - Never place friendship before profit. Rule #22 - A wise man can hear profit in the wind. Rule #23 - Nothing is more important than health, except money. Rule #24 - Latinum can't buy happiness, but you can sure have a blast renting it. Rule #25 - You pay for it, it's your idea. Rule #26 - As the customers go, so goes the wise profiteer. Rule #27 - There's nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman. Rule #28 - Whisper your way to success. Rule #29 - Always ask, "What's in it for me?" Rule #30 - Talk is cheap, synthehol isn't. Rule #31 - Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother. Rule #32 - Be careful what you sell, it may do exactly what the customer expects. Rule #33 - It never hurts to suck up to the boss. Rule #34 - War is good for business. Rule #35 - Peace is good for business. Rule #36 - Neutrality is good for business. Rule #37 - If it's free, take it and worry about hidden costs later. Rule #38 - Everyone needs something. Rule #39 - Friendship is temporary; profit is forever. Rule #40 - She can touch your lobes, but never your Latinum. Rule #41 - Profit is its own reward. Rule #42 - What's mine is mine. Rule #43 - What's yours can be mine. Rule #44 - Never confuse wisdom with luck. Rule #45 - Expand or Die. Rule #46 - Make your shop easy to find. Rule #47 - Don't trust a man wearing a better suit than your own. Rule #48 - The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife. Rule #49 - Everything is worth something to somebody. Rule #50 - Gratitude can bring on generosity. Rule #51 - Reward anyone who adds to your profits so they will continue to do so. Rule #52 - Never ask when you can take. Rule #53 - Never trust anybody taller than you. Rule #54 - Never trust a Ferengi with bigger lobes. Rule #55 - Advertise. Rule #56 - Be discreet. Rule #57 - Good customers are as rare as Latinum; treasure them. Rule #58 - There is no substitute for success. Rule #59 - Free advice is seldom cheap. Rule #60 - Keep your lies consistent. Rule #61 - Never underestimate the power of bribery. Rule #62 - The riskier the road, the greater the profit. Rule #63 - Share only what isn't yours. Rule #64 - You don't need a store front to set up shop. Rule #65 - Win or lose, there's always Huyperian beetle snuff. Rule #66 - Double the price, then sell it half off. Rule #67 - Always inspect the merchandise. Rule #68 - A little ear stroking goes a long way. Rule #69 - Ferengi are not responsible for the stupidity of other races. Rule #70 - Ferengi are not responsible for the stupidity of other Ferengi. Rule #71 - Close the deal, and then answer questions. Rule #72 - Never trust your customers. Rule #73 - If it gets you profit, sell your own mother. Rule #74 - Knowledge equals profit. Rule #75 - Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of Latinum. Rule #76 - Every once in a while, declare peace. "It confuses the hell out of your enemies". Rule #77 - It's better to swallow your pride than to lose your profit. Rule #78 - When the going gets tough, the tough change the rules. Rule #79 - Beware of the Vulcan greed for knowledge. Rule #80 - Greed is known by many names. Rule #81 - There's a difference between being a coward and running away. Rule #82 - The flimsier the product, the higher the price. Rule #83 - Even the wealth of the Nagus started with one slip of Latinum. Rule #84 - A friend is not a friend if he asks for a discount. Rule #85 - Never let the competition know what you're thinking. Rule #86 - When the odds are against you, never give up; just quit. Rule #87 - A friend in need means three times the profit. Rule #88 - It ain't over 'till it's over. Rule #89 - Ask not what your profits can do for you, ask what you can do for your profits. Rule #90 - The Divine Treasury awaits. Rule #91 - Hear all, trust nothing. Rule #92 - There are many paths to profit. Rule #93 - Act without delay! The sharp knife cuts quickly. Rule #94 - Females and finances don't mix. Rule #95 - Prejudice only eliminates customers. Rule #96 - For every rule, there is an equal and opposite rule (except when there's not.) Rule #97 - Enough... is never enough. Rule #98 - Every man has his price. Rule #99 - Trust is the biggest liability of all. Rule #100 - If they take your first offer, you either asked too little, or offered too much. Rule #101 - The only value of a collectible is what you can get somebody else to pay for it. Rule #102 - Nature decays, but Latinum lasts forever. Rule #103 - Sleep can interfere with negotiations. Rule #104 - Faith moves mountains of inventory. Rule #105 - Don't trust anyone who trusts you. Rule #106 - There is no honor in poverty. Rule #107 - A warranty is valid only if they can find you. Rule #108 - Don't buy what you can't sell. Rule #109 - Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack. Rule #110 - Playing dumb is often smart. Rule #111 - Treat people in your debt like family, exploit them [ruthlessly]. Rule #112 - Never have sex with the boss' sister. Rule #113 - Always have sex with the boss. Rule #114 - The one in power defines morality. Rule #115 - The best contract always has a lot of fine print. Rule #116 - There's always a catch. Rule #117 - Profit is the better part of valor. Rule #118 - There is no profit in revenge. Rule #119 - Never judge a customer by the size of his wallet, sometimes, good things come in small packages. Rule #120 - Borrow on a handshake, lend in writing. Rule #121 - Everything is for sale, including friendship. Rule #122 - Do not forsake your profits and they will watch over you. Rule #123 - Even a blind man can recognize the glow of Latinum. Rule #124 - Diligent hands bring wealth. Rule #125 - You can't make a deal if you're dead. Rule #126 - Count it. Rule #127 - Stay neutral in conflict so that you can sell supplies to both sides. Rule #128 - Secrets are commodities, sell them. Rule #129 - The fear of poverty is the beginning of knowledge. Rule #130 - Never pay for sentiment, always charge for it. Rule #131 - Information is profit. Rule #132 - Never take no from someone who wasn't authorized to give you yes. Rule #133 - Only those ideas that lead to profit are good. Rule #134 - One good turn requires another. Rule #135 - Never trust a beneficiary. Rule #136 - Seek profit first and everything else will follow. Rule #137 - Everything is negotiable. Rule #138 - Wealth brings satisfaction. Rule #139 - Wives serve, brothers inherit. Rule #140 - Better great treasure with trouble than peace with poverty. Rule #141 - Only fools pay retail. Rule #142 - There's no such thing as an unfair advantage. Rule #143 - Risk is part of the game... play it for all it's worth. Rule #144 - There's nothing wrong with charity...as long as it winds up in your pocket. Rule #145 - A little and often fills your pockets. Rule #146 - Necessity is the mother of invention. Profit is the father. Rule #147 - In all worthwhile labor there is profit. Rule #148 - Wealth enables experience. Rule #149 - Profit is encouragement to industry and enterprise. Rule #150 - The way to become rich is to put all your Latinum in one sack, then watch the sack. Rule #151 - The man is richest who's pleasures are cheapest. Rule #152 - A lie is a way to tell the truth to someone who doesn't know. Rule #153 - Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Rule #152 - Work hard so you don't have to. Rule #153 - When you have only 2 slips of Latinum left, buy bread with one, and bet the other. Rule #154 - Pain passes, but profits remain. Rule #155 - Power is 50% what you have and 50% what people think you have. Rule #156 - Rainy days are good for business. Rule #157 - Common sense is the collection of the customer's prejudices. Rule #158 - The first principle of a rigid businessman is to always be flexible. Rule #159 - There are no creeds in mathematics. Rule #160 - Happiness is not mere possession of profit, but joy of acquisition. Rule #161 - Beyond the mountains there are more mountains. Rule #162 - Even in the worst of times, someone turns a profit. Rule #163 - When a friend makes profit, you don't. Rule #164 - Life does not guarantee equality of conditions, only of opportunity. Rule #165 - Never let your sense of morals get in the way of opportunity. Rule #166 - The success of any great transaction does not depend on odds. Rule #167 - Earning is not only a duty it's a privilege. Rule #168 - Whisper your way to success. Rule #169 - Competition and fair play are mutually exclusive. Rule #170 - The hand that feeds could be bitten. Rule #171 - Blood is thicker than water, and Latinum is thicker than both. Rule #172 - Chances aren't what they used to be. Rule #173 - Dream, plan, believe, act. Rule #174 - If you can't buy it, find someone who can. Rule #175 - Gratitude is expensive. Rule #176 - The wind always favors the best navigator. Rule #177 - Know your enemies... but do business with them always. Rule #178 - Power, leisure, and liberty are all words for profit. Rule #179 - Opportunity may bring profit, friendship rarely does. Rule #180 - Never discuss an opportunity with someone wealthier than you. Rule #181 - Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit. Rule #182 - The cost for profit is never too high. Rule #183 - When it's a question of profit, everyone is of one belief. Rule #184 - In the middle of difficulty lays opportunity. Rule #185 - Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. Rule #186 - There is no security, only opportunity. Rule #187 - The philosophy of one is the common sense of another. Rule #188 - A fool and his money are the best customer. Rule #189 - Let others keep their reputation. You keep their money. Rule #190 - Hear all, trust nothing. Rule #191 - A Ferengi waits to bid until his opponents have exhausted themselves. Rule #192 - Never cheat a Klingon... unless you're sure you can get away with it. Rule #193 - Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of desire. Rule #194 - It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door. Rule #195 - You can't jump a 20 foot gorge in two 10 foot jumps. Rule #196 - Listen to advice; then do what you want anyway. Rule #197 - Pick battles big enough to matter, but small enough to win. Rule #198 - You can't shake hands with a fist. Rule #199 - The universe is not as difficult to comprehend as a Vulcan. Rule #200 - A Ferengi chooses no side but his own. Rule #201 - Wisdom consists of the anticipation of costs and consequences. Rule #202 - The justification of profit is profit. Rule #203 - New customers are like razor-backed Gree-worms... They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back! Rule #204 - It takes a Ferengi to cheat a Ferengi. Rule #205 - Trust can be expensive. Rule #206 - Distrust can be expensive. Rule #207 - Sense without education is better than education without sense. Rule #208 - Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question, is an answer. Rule #209 - To many lobes spoil the deal. Rule #210 - Always be smarter than the people you hire. Rule #211 - Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success... don't hesitate to step on them. Rule #212 - You're and your Latinum are all you've got. Rule #213 - Those who concede to sell for less understand the value of business. Rule #214 - Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach. Rule #215 - Profit may not bring happiness, but there is no happiness without profit. Rule #216 - Never gamble with an empath. Rule #217 - You can't free a fish from water. Rule #218 - Always know what you're buying. Rule #219 - Possession is 11/10 of the law. Rule #220 - Listen what they say while watching what they do. Rule #221 - Computers can only give you the answers. Rule #222 - The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be believed. Rule #223 - Beware the man who doesn't make time for oo-mox. Rule #224 - Listen to your lobes. Rule #225 - Always follow one step ahead. Rule #226 - Learn the language; translators malfunction. Rule #227 - Emulation with profit is better than innovation with none. Rule #228 - Bid high and bid often. Rule #229 - Latinum lasts longer than lust. Rule #230 - If they're smarter than you, make them a lesser partner. Rule #231 - There's a customer born every minute; be sure you're the first to find each one. Rule #232 - Deal only with select clientele. (Those who are rich and not so bright.) Rule #233 - Latinum doesn't grow on trees. Rule #234 - There's nothing wrong with a good delusion. Rule #235 - Duck; death is tall. Rule #236 - You can't buy fate. Rule #237 - It's good to want things, especially things you can't have. Rule #238 - How I handle my business is none of yours. Rule #239 - Never be afraid to mislabel a product. Rule #240 - Do it yourself and keep it yourself. Rule #241 - Never trust a hardworking employee. Rule #242 - More is good... all is better. Rule #243 - The more good will you can generate, the longer your customers stay. Rule #244 - Because something's priceless doesn't mean it's not worthless. Rule #245 - Benevolence is 50/50. Rule #246 - Innocence is expensive. Rule #247 - Don't negotiate with the underlings. Rule #248 - Profit is in the details. Rule #249 - Once it's sold stop selling. Rule #250 - Precious things are for those that can prize them. Rule #251 - Don't miss the opportunity by grabbing at the shadow. Rule #252 - Little steps may prove great profit. Rule #253 - Synthehol is the lubricant of choice for a customer's stuck purse. Rule #254 - Better a fat slave than to starve free. Rule #255 - A wife is a luxury... a smart accountant, a necessity. Rule #256 - Accountants do not play the game; they only keep the score. Rule #257 - Despise the things you cannot have. Rule #258 - A slip in the hand is better than a bar in sight. Rule #259 - Wealth not yours might well as not exist. Rule #260 - Life's not fair. How else would you turn a profit? Rule #261 - A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience. Rule #262 - A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on. Rule #263 - Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for Latinum. Rule #264 - Distrust interested advice. Rule #265 - The customer is always right... until you get their Latinum. Rule #266 - When in doubt, lie. Rule #267 - If you believe it, they believe it. Rule #268 - Hold on to what you have, but plan for future luck. Rule #269 - Trying to please an enemy makes you the loser every time. Rule #270 - In business deals, a disruptor can be almost as important as a calculator. Rule #271 - What we want is not always the most profitable. Rule #272 - Think twice before leaping once. Rule #273 - Don't waste your breath arguing with a Klingon; save it for the running you may have to do. Rule #274 - Consider your next transaction while counting your Latinum. Rule #275 - Foolish investment based on foolish advice is still foolish investment. Rule #276 - Overbooking is standard practice. Rule #277 - Anything worth fighting for is worth hiding from. Rule #278 - Appearances are deceptive. Dress above yourself. Rule #279 - Necessity knows no price. Rule #280 - If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Rule #281 - Greed cannot overreach itself. Rule #282 - The value of something is not in its use, but in its price. Rule #283 - An individual is smart, a group is not. Rule #284 - Deep down, everyone's a Ferengi. Rule #285 - No good deed ever goes unpunished. The Unwritten Rule - When no appropriate rule applies, make one up!

This poem is actually very sad, but also very powerful and memorable.... W.H. Auden - Funeral Blues 'Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone. Silence the pianos and with muffled drum, Bring out the coffin...let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle, moaning overhead, Scribbling on the sky the message: He is Dead. Put crepe bows 'round the necks of public doves, Let traffic policemen wear black, cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East, my West. My working week and my Sunday rest. My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song, I thought love would last forever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now, put out every one. Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun. Pour out the ocean and sweep up the wood, For nothing now can ever come to any good."

my heart is crying silently deep down into the night because it has a hopeless dream a dream it can not fight i can not show the truth to you as you would surely laugh and that i know would break my heart my heart thats made of glass gradually the pain will ease but i shall not forget the love that i have got for you the love you will not get