Decalogue

Ambrose Gwinett BierceAmbrose Gwinett Bierce

1 min read · 12.4K reads

Thou shalt no God but me adore:
'Twere too expensive to have more.No images nor idols make
For Roger Ingersoll to break.Take not God's name in vain: select
A time when it will have effect.Work not on Sabbath days at all,
But go to see the teams play ball.Honor thy parents. That creates
For life insurance lower rates.**** not, abet not those who ****;
Thou shalt not pay thy butcher's bill.Kiss not thy neighbor's wife, unless
Thine own thy neighbor doth caress.Don't steal; thou'lt never thus compete
Successfully in business. Cheat.Bear not false witness--that is low--
But "hear 'tis rumored so and so."Covet thou naught that thou hast got
By hook or crook, or somehow, got.
Ambrose Gwinett Bierce
About the poet

Ambrose Gwinett Bierce

1842 - 1914/AmericanAmbrose Bierce was born in Meigs County, Ohio, and reared in Kosciusko County, Ind. He was a printer's apprentice before enlisting and serving with distinction in the Civil War. He launched a journalistic career in California and continued…

View profile & all 14 Poems / Stories

More Poetry & Stories You May Like