Fool

I'm a fool,
This much is true.
But I'm not so fatally ignorant
As those who outwardly
Chase the Carrot
But inwardly
Hope for the Stick.
I'm not as diminished as
Those who think that
Class begins at the Bell.
I'm not as neglectful as
Those who believe Work
Is done always in a Suit.

I'm a fool,
This much is true.
But I'm more alive
Than those who drink from the bottle
Instead of from the gnarled streams.