The
Man and the Child
It
is the man in us who works;
Who
earns his daily bread and anxious scans
The
evening skies to know tomorrow's plans;
It
is the man who hurries as he walks;
Finds
courage in a crowd, shouts as he talks;
Who
shuts his eyes and burrows through his task;
Who
doubts his neighbor and who wears a mask;
Who
moves in armor and who hides his tears.
It
is the man in us who fears.
It
is the child in us who plays;
Who
sees no happiness beyond today's;
Who
sings for joy; who wonders, and who weeps;
It
is the child in us at night who sleeps.
It
is the child who silent turns his face,
Open
and maskless, naked of defense,
Simple
with trust, distilled of all pretense,
To
sudden beauty in another's face----
It
is the child in us who loves.
