Men and women of character
Have integrity because of
What they believe
Regardless of what
Werner Erhardt thinks.
And love is
A greater force, by far,
Than self-interest
In direct contradiction
To the trendiest periodicals
Or the advice of the
Sagely psychologizers.
I have chosen for myself
To believe in the holy bedrock
Of human commitment.
In whatever honesty I can muster
And in the invisible iron of
Friendship, reaching across and
Beyond this life.
Of course,
I may be wrong––
May not quite “fit in”
These days––
But I never had much potential
As an ecstatic-materialist
Anyway.
I possess no more
Than wishes and dreams
Hoping others will want to
Help me build a world
Worth living in––
A world just for fun.
Besides,
Just being here––
Like a fat Cheshire cat
In the middle of a garden of poems––
If I'm not lovable,
Who is?