Searching an infinite Where,
Probing a bottomless When,
Dreamfully wandering,
Ceaselessly pondering,
What is the Wherefore of men:
Bartering life for a There,
Selling his soul for a Then,
Baffling obscurity,
Conning futurity,
Usefulest, wisest of men!
Grasping the Present of Life,
Seizing a definite Now,
Labouring thornfully,
Banishing scornfully
Doubts of his Whither and How:
Spending his substance in Strife,
Working a practical How,
Letting obscurity
Rest on futurity,
Usefuler, wiser, I trow.
(James Kenneth Stephen)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, Life Poems, Doubt & Skepticism Poems, Present Poems, Infinity Poems, Contemplation Poems, Sales Poems, Selling PoemsBased on Keywords: probing, definite, banishing, conning, bartering, dreamfully