Immerse: Poets Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 248
236
IMMERSE
•
POETS
She hides and waits like a robber,
eager to make more men unfaithful.
Who has anguish? Who has sorrow?
Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining?
Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns,
trying out new drinks.
Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,
how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.
For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake;
it stings like a viper.
You will see hallucinations,
and you will say crazy things.
You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea,
clinging to a swaying mast.
And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it.
I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.
When will I wake up
so I can look for another drink?”
Don’t envy evil people
or desire their company.
For their hearts plot violence,
and their words always stir up trouble.
A house is built by wisdom
and becomes strong through good sense.
Through knowledge its rooms are filled
with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.
The wise are mightier than the strong,
and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.
So don’t go to war without wise guidance;
victory depends on having many advisers.
Wisdom is too lofty for fools.
Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.
A person who plans evil
will get a reputation as a troublemaker.
The schemes of a fool are sinful;
everyone detests a mocker.
If you fail under pressure,
your strength is too small.
23:28–24:10
