A Man is Not Easily Made

Men of free will

They think they know

But true intelligence

Stands on the fine edge

Between light and shadow.

 

A man is not easily made.

 

To sink in pleasures

To be drunk with excess

Is like standing

In the midst of sobriety

In a vulgar dress.

 

A man is not easily made.

 

His possessions may give him

An air so select

But value is not

A measure of expenditure

It’s the arc of a discerning intellect.

 

A man is not easily made.

 

Has he learnt the art

Of keeping centred his private mind?

Towards his friends

And towards his foes

Is he equally kind?

 

A man is not easily made.

 

For a man to become

He must know how to be

Measured in appearance

But immeasurable

In depth and potentiality.

 

A man is not easily made.

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