Old heads, forgetful of science so captivating
As wonder's fruitage beneath juvenile skies,
Cannot say how or why joy was waiting
Or what surprise gives or analysis denies
Of the felicity they sought then in nature or lives -
But somehow in the field a deep receptiveness revives
To what made their home and bright their eyes.
From the mammae of the future the quick young survivors
Milk knowledge no profiteers can gamble into the song
Of instant gratification they tidy into ledgers,
Hugging every frailty to breaking erelong.
Speculators, who really give profit its place,
Insist on risk-taking for the benefit of the race,
So uniquely curious, so uniquely wrong.
8. RATIONALITY
(the thinking lateral)
‘You can only find truth with logic if you have already found truth without it.’ – G. K. Chesterton
The crown catches fire from the heart’s sap – the individual
Fervid thinker crushes the ferret –
The snow-covered mountain is majestic but cruel:¹
The rationalist must decide if lives matter and have merit,
Being more than statistics. Unless he sends
To know for whom the bell tolls, that portends
His mortality, its clang will din into him his demerit.