(Dedicated to Sir Mel Samarita)

 

I met a learned man who said

“The world belongs to men

of higher calibers…”

which puzzled me beyond belief

the thought, the notion,

No—

the mere suggestion of his

inadequacy

or perhaps humbling humility

and the idea of an existing set of

“Higher calibers”—

of stronger, faster, larger

Bullets

fired from longer, sharper, grander

Guns

that could tear down old walls

and break new grounds

better than him.

Yet I am fully convinced

he had only half awakened

but is already

aware enough

to dream

of newer grounds

behind even older walls,

built by Bias,

funded by Ego,

maintained by Pride,

that those of “higher calibers”

aim not to

penetrate

but to sustain.

For this learned man is not for

replacing

high walls with even higher

barriers

nor massing, measuring, or matching

“Calibers.”

Rather, this one is for

creating a world

where the anti-materiel,

is no longer

anti-material;

where the scholar is

above all,

scholarly

and no pint of politics

can deter

intelligence.

Then all my doubts were put

to rest

for I, at last, knew

That this bullet had seen all of this

and he had only just left his

barrel.