She used the word pusillanimous
in a poem of a generation long gone,
and he thought that is exactly the word
for the generation to which he belongs.

Is it surprising concerning timidity,
that we’ve been down this way before,
and at every turn do outdo temerity —
finger-pointing more and more and more?

The poet asks all to take heart
and to note that courage finds a way
and that life is worth a fresh start
with every new generation’s day.