You cannot say what something is
By saying what it’s not;
That is the new dilemma in which
Modern times are caught

The “Don’t do this,” and “Don’t be this”
We have in some abundance;
In fact, we say these things so much
It’s kind of a redundance

The strange thing is we will not say
What people ought to be;
Rarely in weak specifics nor
In generality

We feel to say these type of things
Is fatuous, presumptuous:
Or perhaps pollyanic
Or just dumb and Forrest Gumptuous

But this, I think, is a mistake.
We must have points of view:
Kids never get who they should be
From what
They shouldn’t
Do