What is a man but
Flesh and bone gave breath;
Such mortal beast
To buck beneath
The reins of my imagination.
Cry out for me, ye bloodied hands
I am the stones arise on emerald hills
My flesh the graven gold
Of toiling back and grinding axe.
My blood be thee and thine
All rivers flow to mine
Call me God, for all I see is all I am
A fire in the earth
Tempered in the sea of sable madness
Yet to swim, yet to circumnavigate
My ambition, this thing of steel
No land might ever satisfy
The hunger of my soul.
All songs, they sing for me
Each note a dirge unto my memory.
Each breath, praise, for it is mine divine
Providence, they say, a god-in-man
Whoso could ever hope to say
I could not turn the tides.
I am the horse that rides,
I am the bolt that flies,
I am the child that cries,
He whom only fate defies.
Behold my majesty and yet despair
Of he who masters everyone
And nothing, and no one, still.
For the latest Monday Poetry Potluck!
The Waking Den 
This is an excellent poem.
A lot of strong, powerful imagery
This is brilliant! You really have a knack for writing the most profound thoughts.
Loved these lines especially:
“Behold my majesty and yet despair
Of he who masters everyone
And nothing, and no one, still.”
The words ring so true…
The rythym and flow of this was just wonderful…and there’s a sadness, too, that we are all just human and fallible and masters of our own little universes and not much else. I really enjoyed this!
a man is a man,
it includes a child, a father, and a hero in it..
lovely word flow.
Profound and thought-provoking. No land can ever satisfy…because our kingdom is within.
Strong. Bold. Made me think. Loved it! Also love the flow and structure of this poem.
great writing…felt like you were speaking of something very personal.
Nicely done. I like the powerful word choices you use.
Mine is here. http://razzamadazzle.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/when-i-leave-my-body/
Ah! Wow!
I loved the names you give yourself: “I am the child that cries”.
Very powerful, very worthy of a king! 😉
This poem held a lot of power and wisdom! Man is the question, and man is the answer too! Man is the fire, and man is the water too!
I think you have written a brilliant piece here, Chris…
This poem reminds me of the speech given by Galt, in Atlas Shrugged! Amazing – both!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this power laden poem at poetry potluck!! We are thrilled to have you here…
It is great to reread your work…
I could not turn the tides.
I am the horse that rides,
I am the bolt that flies,
I am the child that cries,
He whom only fate defies.
love these lines, they speak truth yet poetic and fun to read.
hope to see you next Monday, simply link and visit…