Tiger Christ unsheathed his sword, <br />Threw it down, became a lamb. <br />Swift spat upon the species, but <br />Took two women to his heart. <br />Samson who was strong as death <br />Paid his strength to kiss a slut. <br />Othello that stiff warrior <br />Was broken by a woman's heart. <br />Troy burned for a sea-tax, also for <br />Possession of a charming whore. <br />What do all examples show? <br />What must the finished murderer know? <br /> <br />You cannot sit on bayonets, <br />Nor can you eat among the dead. <br />When all are killed, you are alone, <br />A vacuum comes where hate has fed. <br />Murder's fruit is silent stone, <br />The gun increases poverty. <br />With what do these examples shine? <br />The soldier turned to girls and wine. <br />Love is the tact of every good, <br />The only warmth, the only peace. <br /> <br />"What have I said?" asked Socrates. <br />"Affirmed extremes, cried yes and no, <br />Taken all parts, denied myself, <br />Praised the caress, extolled the blow, <br />Soldier and lover quite deranged <br />Until their motions are exchanged. <br />-What do all examples show? <br />What can any actor know? <br />The contradiction in every act, <br />The infinite task of the human heart."<br /><br />Delmore Schwartz<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/for-the-one-who-would-take-man-s-life-in-his-han/
