Author Archives: jackpelham

With his head laid on the block of public serviceAnd the axe within the easy reach of the crowdHe dares to speak a truth that is sure to beMet with apathy, delight, terror, and rageBy the factions who stand before … Continue reading →

After suffering years of nagging guiltI’m now reconsidering whether I shouldCut myself some slackFor I have observed of lateThat the deer do not make their beds.

I believe I could get filthy richIf I were willing to teach under-developed mindsTo feel good about their under-development.

A thousand lessons pass the earsAnd a hundred the lipsTo the one that finds a home in the heart. And hardly anyone knows that we could—If we wanted—Learn a thing the first time.

As he heads to the barnThe evening sun dips downBeneath the western cloudsFor one last look at the dayAnd washes warm where he mayAcross the uncluttered earth Casting long those evening shadows Beyond the obstinate things That refuse to clear … Continue reading →

He is a fool and brilliant!— A fool for using his unreliable human mindFor drawing conclusions about this world— And brilliant for learning how to do it better and better,And for reassessing his conclusions from time to time,Where most simply … Continue reading →

Watch that man who is Unwilling to feel foolish Even when he is.

We have the stupidest ideas among us—promoted in tandem, yet inconsistent in principle: I. That those who choose a life of intellectual immaturity—who shun learning, morals, self-correction, and duty—make a respectable choice, and that it is the duty of the … Continue reading →

Is it the nature of the other speciesThat they go to seed beforeThey have taken root themselves—That they bear youngBefore maturity? Yet it is in the nature of humankindThat they may chooseTo reproduce beforeThey are fit forParenthood.

The serpent promised that they could rise above The nature into which they had been createdBy performing beneath it—