A Man

They fed him the word of God, "To make you good," they said. He spat it back at them; Their faces were all red. They shouted the word of God, "To lead you true!" they said. He opened his mouth and sang, "I walk alone till I'm dead." And he walked alone through Time, And he rode alone through Space, And the light of a godless rhyme Shone as the sun on his face: "From star to star I stride, From God's to Manhood's height; Strange worlds on either side Touch me with a wondering light. "I wave them a happy hand And they sing out with glee, 'He's Man! He's in command! He sets his great soul free!' I mount with my ship the sky, I'll go where I think I can; I follow my mind till I die, From beginning to end a man.