So many fads return with fleeting face,
Old garments dressed as if they were the new;
Yet nobler cloth lies folded out of place,
While cheap display parades in gaudy hue.

I long for fashions time forgot to prize—
For morals once well worn, for minds that care,
For respect, a jewel before our eyes,
For intellect, now hidden, yet still rare.

The world adores its passing, shallow vain,
And chases glitter, empty of all gain;
But virtue waits, untouched by loss or stain,
Its patient light preserved in wisdom’s chain.

O day when truth is tailored to the crowd:
Then hearts wear grace, and minds stand tall and proud.