Poetry month

Poetry month is coming up and Jenn is doing a column on it in our staff newsletter. She’s asked us to submit our favorite poem. I’ve choosen a poem by my brother of many talents:

An Open-handed Fist
By Konrad Mitchell Lawson

They wisdom’s hardened fist in logic hail,
but in the rhetorician’s face will fail.
And though my friends are virtuous and kind,
with honest tongues true words are left behind.
Athenian men to war by words are led,
and find their truths when left to count the dead.
And when a faith finds home in spoken word,
the wisest see the deafness that they heard.
Those who justice to their cause would seek
must learn to like the cunning serpent speak.
And more to win, must craft their speeches whole,
and from their audience capture heart and soul,
wield with pride a senatorial wit,
as of the victors countless tales are writ.
Some honored more than truth their spoken art,
as aging bach’lors might chide a lovesick heart,
but when returned the vote is ‘yea’ or ‘nay’
the eloquently spoken win the day.
And left are those sagacious sad old men:
The owls who perished in the fox’s den.
How shall we fight our cause when foxes rule,
for surely ours is right and theirs is cruel?
Should we persuade and lift with open hand,
or beat with fist the indecisive band?
The learn’d will always follow reason’s call,
the rest by fabled foolishness will fall,
unless we too should play the serpent’s game,
and in its mastery fight for reason’s name.