Lincoln?
He was a mystery in smoke and flags
Saying yes to the smoke, yes to the flags,
Yes to the paradoxes of democracy,
Yes to the hopes of government
Of the people by the people for the people,
No to debauchery of the public mind,
No to personal malice nursed and fed,
Yes to the Constitution when a help,
No to the Constitution when a hindrance
Yes to man as a struggler amid illusions,
Each man fated to answer for himself:
Which of the faiths and illusions of mankind
Must I choose for my own sustaining light
To bring me beyond the present wilderness?
Lincoln? Was he a poet?
And did he write verses?
“I have not willingly planted a thorn
Sandburg uses these lines to explore deeper the meaning of one’s life and to wander away from the theme of Lincoln. He illustrates and highlights the struggle and question one is faced with their life; the question of what to do with their lives which will take their life into a new chapter and for some even up the staircase to heaven. However, people’s different choices create different chapters and staircases. 

The People Yes