Lincolns Lesson Learned

Hard driven by the embarrassment, His temper Flared bright in youth, Grinded to sharpness by the glittering coin held tight, Handed to his Dad in fear, Slavery is Poverty and vise versa to this day; The first lessons of the his earlier days, So Young Lincoln went upon his way, He flew the coup instead of hitting another nail into timber, Knowing that it was his coffin the spike driven into it would be sealing, No more Kentucky hay to bail or seed to lay… No more indentured servitude for Lincoln, He swore to God that day, A Frontier Politician he set a due course, With vulgar temper and clerical repose, Dotted with Whiskey, furry and aloof, Young Lincoln the Politic used his words to shred, His rival list long, and he knew that they dread, As he dispensed his paid for frontier limited view, Castigating, name calling and even assailing mere men, His words were swords to slice, Fire breathed to incinerate, Not the eloquence of a man upon hollowed temples walls, Young Lincoln set a course, That would so create, A life’s lesson learned, but not from sharp worded debate, He insulted the integrity of an immovable man, James Shield a political rival of that date, Someone who needs to learn to heel, To the Lincolns law of the land, So a duel was proposed and Lincoln so dared, To accept the rival challenge, but only if he could prevail, Rules were set, A duel to the death, Long Sword chosen for his long tall reach, His rival still undeterred, removed the sword from the sheath, So Lincoln threw down a long wood log, And said to Shield your honor will not allow you to retreat, What Lincoln did not know, Was Mr. Shield’s resolve to this matter and would never ever retreat, No matter the circumstance, He will stand for his honor, In front of his own blood splatter, None of that seemed to matter, The Duel set to begin, The middle man arrives, The Duel called off… When Lincoln looked into Shield’s burning eyes, Lincoln sees a truth, Retreats into a five year slumber, Nursing his ego and calming all matters, Learning from errors and books galore, his embarrassed lack of education, set a changed in his course, Learning the Lessons of Shield’s brave stand, Lincoln never left that day, And it never went away, Ignited an understanding of integrity, Honor, and glory, Of the righteous path to lay, But if you think he was born that way, It was a young Lincoln that had to walk away, He returned more than a man, A driven ideology, Knowing the path ahead, The future is not through a house divided, Falling upon itself, But only together we can stand, One nation that is undivided. ThePoetMike