See Dick and Jane take Betty for their friend.
They introduce themselves and spend a year
acquainting with her daily; they intend
to know her well enough to be her peer.
Now Betty is a person self-contained
and balanced in her own eccentric way,
but Dick and Jane think she can be explained
in terms of what they know and how they pray.

So Dick thinks Betty’s selfish when she’s strong,
and Jane finds Betty giving to a fault.
It matters neither when nor for how long
they hang with her – their friendship’s an assault
on clarity; their angles are obtuse:
Affection ties, but affect makes a noose.