The thing that numbs the heart is this: That men cannot devise Some scheme of life to banish fear That lurks in most men's eyes. Fear of the lack of shelter, food, And fire for winter's cold; Fear of their children's lacking these, This in a world so old. This is my sure, my very firm belief: That life, to one born whole, is worth the living, Well worth the taking, having, and the giving. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: ALEXANDER THROCKMORTON by EDGAR LEE MASTERS CONTRA MORTEM: THE WOMAN'S GENITALS by HAYDEN CARRUTH FISH-LEAP FALL by ROBERT FROST I WANT TO LIVE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON THE WILLOW by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON AND SO, I THINK DIOGENES by AMY LOWELL THE DESIRE OF NATIONS by EDWIN MARKHAM SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: JUDGE SELAH LIVELY by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |