FAITH

Here am I - breathing,

Working,

Living

And writing my poetry

(My best ti it giving).

Life and I glower

Across at each other,

And with it I struggle

With all my power.

Life and I quarrel,
But don't draw the moral
That I despise it.
No, just the opposite!
Though I should perist,
Life with its brutal
Claws of steel
Still would I cherish,
Still would I cherish!

Supose round my neck they tie fast
The rope
And they ask:
"Would you like one more hour to live?"
I would instantly cry:
"Untie!
Untie!
Come, quickly untie
The rope, you devils!"

For Life there is nothing
I would not dare.
I would fly
A prototype plane in the sky,
I'd climb in a roaring
Rocket, exploring
Alone
In space
Distant
Planets.

Still would I feel
A joyous thrill
Gazing
Up
At the blue sky.
Still would I feel
A joyous thrill
To be alive,
To go on living.

But look, suppose
You took - how much? -
A single grain
From this my faith,
Then would I rage,
I would rage from pain
Like a panter
Pierced to the heart.

For what of me
Would there remain?
After the theft
I'd be distraught.
To put it plainly
And more directly -
After the theft
I would be naught.

Maybe you wish
You could erase
My faith
In happy days,
My faith -
That tomorrow
Life will be finer,
Life will be wiser?