To A Baby Born Without Limbs
This
is
just
to
show
you
whose
boss
around
here.
It’ll
keep
you
on
your
toes,
so
to
speak,
Make
you
put
your
best
foot
forward,
so
to
speak,
And
give
you
something
to
turn
your
hand
to,
so
to
speak.
You
can
face
up
to
it
like
a
man,
Or
snivvle
and
blubber
like
a
baby.
That’s
up
to
you.
Nothing
to
do
with
Me.
If
you
take
it
in
the
right
spirit,
You
can
have
a
bloody
marvelous
life,
With
the
great
rewards
courage
brings,
And
the
beauty
of
accepting
your
LOT.
And
think
how
much
good
it’ll
do
your
Mum
and
Dad,
And
your
Grans
and
Gramps
and
the
rest
of
the
shower,
To
be
stopped
being
complacent.
Make
sure
they
baptise
you,
though,
In
case
some
murdering
bastard
Decides
to
put
you
away
quick,
Which
would
send
you
straight
to
LIMB-O,
ha
ha
ha.
But
just
a
word
in
your
ear,
if
you’ve
got
one.
Mind
you
DO
take
this
in
the
right
spirit,
And
keep
a
civil
tongue
in
your
head
about
Me.
Because
if
you
DON’T,
I’ve
got
plenty
of
other
stuff
up
My
sleeve,
Such
as
Leukemia
and
polio,
(Which
incidentally
your
welcome
to
any
time,
Whatever
spirit
you
take
this
in.)
I’ve
given
you
one
love-pat,
right?
You
don’t
want
another.
So
watch
it,
Jack.
Kingsley Amis
Kingsley Amis, (born April 16, 1922, London, England—died October 22, 1995, London), novelist, poet, critic, and teacher who created in his first novel, Lucky Jim, a comic figure that became a household word in Great Britain in the 1950s. Amis was educated at the City of London School and at St. John’s College, Oxford (B.A., 1949). His education was interrupted during World War II by his service as a lieutenant in the Royal Corps of Signals. From 1949 to 1961 he taught at universities in Wales, England, and the United States.