What Makes a Man

That which is a man is judged

Based on what we see,

Much like what is left

Of this old hollow tree.

We see the outer shell --

Crusty, hard and worn --

Shaped by daily living

Life since he was born.

What we often fail to see

Is that which lies within;

Hidden deep inside of him

Beneath his outer skin.

Sometimes he is hollow,

Just like this rotten log;

There's nothing there but emptiness

Filled with vaporous fog.

If you want to know the man

The most important part

Is to look down deep inside of him

Into his beating heart.

That is where his passions lie,

The things which give him drive

To overcome all obstacles

And make him feel alive.

It's not just the container,

Like some old rusty can,

It's the heart that beats within him

That makes a man a man.