Page:Poetry, a magazine of verse, Volume 7 (October 1915-March 1916).djvu/382

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POETRY: A Magazine of Verse

But his family had great fears
For him, knowing the evil
Which might befall him, seeing that the light
Of his own dream had blinded his mind's eyes.
They could not tell but what he had a devil.
But still, in their tears' despite
And warnings', he departed with replies
That when a man's genius calls him
He must obey no matter what befalls him.

What he had in his mind was growth
Of soul by watching,
And the creation of eyes
Over your mind's eyes to supervise
A clear activity and to ward off sloth.
What he had in his mind was scotching
And killing the snake of Hatred, and stripping the glove
From the hand of Hypocrisy. and quenching the fire
Of Falsehood and Unbrotherly Desire.
What he had in his mind was simply Love—
And it was strange he preached the sword and force
To establish Love, but it was not strange,
Since he did this, his life took on a change.
And what he taught seems muddled at its source
With moralizing and with moral strife
For morals are merely the Truth diluted,
And sweetened up and suited
To the business and bread of Life.


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