The Tower of Babel

The kings all came in conference
For the Tower of Babel fell---
Men had no common heritage
Or common tongue so all could tell.
They could not understand through context
What a word meant in its time.
They did not know the theory
They did not know the reasons why.
They spoke, then, through emotions
And not through conceptual things.
They spoke to each other through feelings
And not through heady weeds.
A poet was made poor one day
For this was what had happened---
Enthymeme, Calculus and Infinity
Had all been but forgotten.

Thus the kings in genocidal rage
Wished to purge the dull from the Earth.
But a wise poet rose up and claimed,
"No, for they still have human worth.
"Do not kill these poor creatures
"For they have love within their soul.
"They may not understand or know
"But good and bad, they still have in their throws
"Of toil upon this great earth
"They may find thought is a nuisance
"And communicated ideas they may find very truant.
"But recall, they are men, and men are good and wise
"If they know how to love each other, we shall keep them all alive.
"For, they need to know good from woe
"And know God's very law.
"For they know not how to understand the world
"So they need faith more than all.
"They need to push toward God in heaven
"And find Him all the same...
"They need the words of Jesus and to make them their good king.
"Over their lives, they shall reign, and be with blessed thoughts
"Of laws which they do not understand, but follow without fault.
"Love your neighbor, be kind to all, and merciful to a man
"And to turn the cheek to smiters, and not war in other lands.
"And this poet could retire, unknown and not understood
"If all mankind worked together, and loved more than shook
"The leaf of books like bread, they listened to the heart.
"Man could love each other then, and need not be very smart."