You almost (almost) tempt me to say that suicide agrees with me. Thank you very much!
Poetry / The Mettle of a Man
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A man is more than the sum of his parts
When the calculations are done; at the last
Things more ethereal than flesh and bone
Reveal the ore from which his soul was cast
Pig iron for some; and gold for a few
It seems--that most men are alloys--I guess
But those made of steel are often surreal
In the nobility of the character they possess
So, she sits there in silence, a tear in her eye
Knowing her knight will never come home—
She holds the banner he waved o’er his head
When he stood up to be counted—alone.
There is no balm for a wound such as this—
That pierces the armor of mortality’s core
Slicing through men to the homes they defend
When they are stricken on battlefields of war
She chokes back a sob in front of the bier—
Summoning courage she knows is from him
As she counts up the cost of all that she’s lost
Thinking, love should never come to sad ends
But his love paid a price very few ever know
Such as the riches of the earth can’t exceed—
Showing his love to be the greatest of treasures
And a balm on her torn soul, though it grieves
There is a mettle more precious than gold
When men take stock of all that they love
And consecrate themselves with devotions
That can only be assayed by God up above
Keith Allen Scalf
7-31-07
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oldirty reviewed Version 1 -
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I’m impressed. Again. The only thing I can see to harp on is minor at it’s worst.
Quite simply, a couple of lines don’t scan!!
When I read this out loud
“A man is more than the sum of his parts / When the calculations are done; at the last / Things more ethereal than flesh and bone / Reveal the ore from which his soul was cast”
the last line feels a syllable short.
But with this one:
“Pig iron for some; and gold for a few / It seems--that most men are alloys--I guess / But those made of steel are often surreal / In the nobility of the character they possess”
it sounds a syllable too long.
It took me a long time to find something to gripe about… I hate “nitpicking” on work this good.
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EvnSuicideAgrees reviewed Version 1 -
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Very Nice Poem, this really shows what should be most important in a mans life! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.
Strass reviewed Version 1 -
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This is absolutly perfect -—- Do not change a thing… This brought tears to my eyes and is written so well that you must get this published. I loved how you use Metal and Mettle…. so great.. Thank you for this..
Flying_Squirrel reviewed Version 1 -
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I really enjoyed this piece, it was very powerful due to the excellent discription and feeling throughout. It was movie like in some ways! Great read!
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