The measure of a man

Father, husband, warrior, poet
 
A simple question posed
debated by armchair sages
 
Pseudointellectual clichés supposed
as intellectual war rages
 
A haunting question disposed
written on history's pages
 
God's yardstick imposed
evolving through the ages
 
Priest, mystic, madman, hobo
 
All have known pain
as a repeated refrain
shouldering heavy burdens
amidst weakness and distain
 
Shepherd, cowboy, rodeo clown
 
What's missing on the list
maybe just to be a human being
 
Though broken and shattered
left standing in the storm
living though pain defines
yet loving while in pain
is the measure of heart and soul
 
I hope in some small way I measure up
to the person I was meant to be