The virtues eighteen

Serenity, regularity, absence of vanity,
Sincerity, simplicity, veracity,
Equanimity, fixity, adaptability,
Non-irritability, humility, tenacity,
Integrity, nobility, charity,
Magnanimity, generosity, purity-
The eighteen ities will give you
Immortality, as Socrates says.
You have to be in a tension of
Vulnerability to achieve it.
09.03.2006

poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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