153 Man’s Dilemma

The beast and Gentleman ne’er end the strife,
The animal, again, does long for flesh,
Philosopher e’er pines for higher life,
It is not her, but Her, who is the best!
Mankind is close to choosing Perfect Will,
Her golden robes are ever just in sight,
And just as Wisdom’s Truth is closer still,
Mankind, in foolish youth, dismisses light!
To serve, our deepest fear and greatest goal,
Does draw so ever near, and we withdraw,
When Wisdom moves into our deepest soul,
We flee in droves, uncertain- what a flaw!
Full self-control is ever what we yearn,
Yet “freedom’s” goal is e’er to Wisdom spurn!
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written March 13, 2007

148 The Nature of Man

Oh mind, thou art a bastion for the truth,
O soul, thou art the metaphysic geist-
The corpse, not perfect, even in the youth,
Does ever wish, of virtue such, the heist!
The body knows it holdeth little gold,
A beauty, yes, but only to the eye,
And time destroys the beauty of the old,
The curse of man is ever that we die.
The mind and soul may yet be quite pristine-
And yet, when unfulfilled they are a void,
Their beauty lies in golden wisdom’s gleam,
On Earth their treasure cannot be destroyed!
And thus is man, he is of parts composed-
Philosopher and beast, in him exposed.
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written February 27, 2007

144 The Scourge of Time

A silent night digresses into dark,
The evening light portrays a shallow mist,
My ever-searching soul does now depart,
My longing to be whole is now dismissed.
I hear in darkened wood a quiet sound-
The ancient voices good entrance the soul,
They tell a tale of ancient time renowned,
And free a wail for desp’rate worldly woe!
The majesty of ancient songs agone,
The tapestry of man is incomplete.
Not only have we lost the early dawn,
But dusk of man, his last, we’ll never meet.
Alas the scourge of time attacks the soul-
A wish for deeper rhyme to yield the whole!
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written February 12, 2007

143 The Golden Death

Men cannot see the worth of many things,
Through misery he learns his discipline,
Injustice brings his will to conquer kings,
The Golden Death does kill to make divine!
For ever-lasting life on Earth is dull,
The ever-present strife sets each apart,
For no two men do share a life in full,
The time you spend is your eternal art.
What death imparts is human social worth,
When each departs, a part of Man is lost,
Thus Man must spread himself upon the Earth,
To share his single wealth a’fore ‘tis lost.
The individual is only great,
If death is in its full his sure escape.
© Jerusalemrising (Tyler O’Neil)
Written February 12, 2007