Bridled Guidance

You can lead a horse to water But you can’t make it drink If the only lake is a lagoon And the stagnant water stinks. Animals may be “dumb” or “stupid” That may be your true thought But the horse won’t drink poisoned liquids And that’s not something it ever needed taught. You can lead a child in the way to grow But you can’t make them exact And those who have tried now know Concepts, not statements, keep one intact. You can stand in front of a classroom And completely lack a brain But parents let you lie and “teach” Which is a damn crying shame. You can lead a man to knowledge And beg him to simply read But don’t tell me it’s college Which runs simply to fill a vacuous greed. Because if you really led him to wisdom There wouldn’t exist a need For once you’ve tasted, you have a hunger Wisdom always needs to feed. You can lead a horse to water, And you can drown it in the drink If you believe you’re teaching But the lesson doesn’t sink. When you lead the horse to water And try to make it drink You can’t just preach facts and figures You have to teach how to think.