A beautiful poem has been circulating for decades. It has appeared in magazines, been quoted in emails, and, in recent years, found new life in memes and Instagram Reels. The gist of the piece, often referred to as the "Pick More Daisies" poem, is a letter to a former self offering nuggets of wisdom about embracing life before it's too late.

The poem is often attributed to a woman named Nadine Stair, who was said to be 85 years old at the time of publication. It appeared under her name in the Association for Humanistic Psychology newsletter in July 1975. The only issue is that some claim no such woman ever existed. Digging deeper, many also claim it was originally written by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, while others cite Robert Hastings, and still others list the author simply as "anonymous female."

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In his essay "Who Would Pick More Daisies?" Benjamin Rosen explores plagiarism and the internet's ability to fool readers.

The original template for the piece, which varies depending on the attributed writer, appears to trace back to Don Herold. It appeared in College Humor magazine in 1935. Regardless of which version circulates online today, the poem's central idea remains unchanged and continues to resonate with readers.

Herold's original piece was this:

"If I had my life to live over, I would try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I know of very few things I would take seriously. I would be crazier. I would be less hygienic. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would burn up more gasoline. I would eat more ice cream and less bran. I would have more actual troubles........

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