What is a Man?

What is a man,
A bit of skin and bone,
A pitiful bundle of frailties,
The slightest blow of nature
Condemns him to oblivion,
Yet, within him dwells a spirit,
A soul, an intellect
And a heroic quality,
Which may some day
Make him the ruler
Of the universe.
If there be gods,
Man is in their likeness.

Alfred Charasz
Copyright 2006 Alfred Charasz