Collected Poems of John Holmes
Holmes, John A., Jr.
2002
Examination
Examination
Has he done this because it must be done? Did the word speak, or this man speak it? Could color have taken him, or did he take it? Were he and the singing two songs or one? | |
Had he waited? We know how long one waits Till solitude is wide enough, how patience Is like the daily meal slowly in silence. Also we have seen those who crowd the gates. | |
Does the man standing before us know this? Doubt is a way of resting. Does he say this? Rest is a sort of doubt. Is he sure of this? We require that the man before us show this. | |
Has he travelled from necessary loneliness Toward all; moreover, having found one only Love, does he remember being unloved and lonely? Does he say yes? Why should he not say yes? | |
And has he prepared himself for unexpected Danger, from dragons or from princesses? Courage is not a Ratter of strength more or less, But of keeping the heart ready, and the head, | |
For what never should have happened so, The outrageous, the inexplicable. Did he fight it? The decision turns on how he fought it. To know the man, this is what we must know. | |