Ego: He lost his gift¹ by bathing in a river -
A humbling, though enriching, experience, as he learned
That he throve so long as values are a life-giver -
Eyes: And constantly re-affirmed! Likewise, from the liturgy
Of gilt to an improving diet affluent
Supercooks may master their disgust, life-affirmingly.
Ego: You mean, add to life a soupÇon of seasonings,
And the cooking shall be a cordial affair,
Creating new dishes from the taste-buds’ reasonings?
Eyes: Ego, my ego, to be all-contentedness
And know how to taste all things is your style,
Far better than gold, than one-flavour tormentedness!
Ego: When bread turns to hard gold,² I should bathe in the Pactolus
To restore my values and my soul, and not lose them
As commanded by Nietzsche, that modern Dionysus?
Eyes: Keep faith, go easy, cherish all life -
And from your appraisal speaks your will to be human,
To sheathe the murdering, nihilistic knife.
Ego: If good reasons give way to better by elaboration
Of values, then bad must descend into worse
By denying those values the heart’s probation.
Eyes: And in choosing objects of worth, not vanity,
You understand yourself and find your freedom,
Living in accord with your own humanity.