No fawn-tinged hospital pajamas could cheat him of his austerity,
Which tamed even the doctors with its pure fire.
They examined him ; made him bow to them :
Massive altars were they, at whose swollen feet grovelled a wor
shiper.
Then they laughed, half in scorn of him; and there came a
miracle.
The little man was above them at a bound.
His austerity, like an irresistible sledge-hammer, drove them lower
and lower:
They dwindled while he soared.
(Maxwell Bodenheim)
More Poetry from Maxwell Bodenheim:
Maxwell Bodenheim Poems based on Topics: Man, Fire, Miracles- To A Revolutionar (Maxwell Bodenheim Poems)
- Instructions (Maxwell Bodenheim Poems)
- Negro Criminal (Maxwell Bodenheim Poems)
- The Camp-Follower (Maxwell Bodenheim Poems)
- The Rear-Porches Of An Apartment-Building (Maxwell Bodenheim Poems)
- City Girl (Maxwell Bodenheim Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Fire Poems, Miracles PoemsBased on Keywords: wor, austerity, grovelled, pajamas, sledge-hammer