Thomas Chatterton committed suicide at the age of 17. He became a heroic-tragic figure in Romantic art. Chatterton’s death was a popular subject for artists. This painting, titled “The Death of Chatterton” (1856), was done by Henry Wallis.

Silly boys

Silly boys
Who drink too much,
Curse & such,
Chasin’ wimmin,

Boldly speak
With tainted tongues,
Smoke-filled lungs
& eyeballs dimmin’ —

Sipping scotch
Like Auchentoshan,
In the Glen
Or by the ocean —

Die too young
From self-styled glum,
Poison-pens,
& sun-screen lotion.

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