IF
by Carla (age 10)
If you can love people of all creeds and color
And remember to respect their ways and rights,
If you can help them when they’re in need of friendship,
Whether they are dark, medium, or light,
If you can devote your life to progress
And always help to build a world of peace,
If you can aim to make our world, One World,
One World in which all horrid wars will cease,
If you try to listen when you are spoken to
And never ridicule what one might say,
If when you criticize, you do it kindly
In a helpful, not insulting way,
If you can always look into the future
With eagerness to learn and go ahead,
Your life will be so much the better for it:
A full and richer life you will have led.