Feeling is not an island

Be not too hard for life is short
And nothing is given to man;  
Be not too hard when he is sold and bought
For he must manage as best he can;
Be not too hard when he gladly dies  
Defending things he does not own;
Be not too hard when he tells lies,
And if his heart is sometimes like a stone
Be not too hard – for he soon dies,
Often no wiser than he began;
Be not too hard, for life is short  
And nothing is given to man.

For when man loves and opens his arms wide,
Like that Jew upon the cross,
Love steals his heart’s sweet breath;
And if he hugs his love against his side,
It crushes him to death.
Either way he bears the loss…
And must continue as best he can.
Be not too hard for soon he dies
Often no wiser than he began;
Be not too hard, for life is short,
And nothing is given to man.

- Christopher Logue 

 ~~~

Poem from a Three Year Old

Brendan Kennelly

And will the flowers die? And will the people die?
And every day do you grow old, do I
grow old, no I’m not old, do
flowers grow old?

Old things – do you throw them out?
Do you throw old people out?
And how you know a flower that’s old?
The petals fall, the petals fall from flowers,
and do the petals fall from people too,
every day more petals fall until the
floor where I would like to play I
want to play is covered with old
flowers and people all the same
together lying there with petals fallen
on the dirty floor I want to play
the floor you come and sweep
with the huge broom.
The dirt you sweep, what happens that,
what happens all the dirt you sweep
from flowers and people, what
happens all the dirt?  Is all the
Dirt what’s left of flowers and
people, all the dirt there in a
heap under the huge broom that
sweeps every thing away?

Why you work so hard, why brush
and sweep to make a heap of dirt?
And who will bring new flowers?
And who will bring new people? 
Who will bring new flowers to put in water
where no petals fall on to the
floor where I would like to
play?  Who will bring new flowers
that will not hang their heads 
like tired old people wanting sleep?
Who will bring new flowers
that do not split and shrivel every
day?  And if we have new flowers,
will we have new people too to
keep the flowers alive and give
them water?
And will the new young flowers die?
And will the new young people die?
And why?