Analysis of The Pledge Made Good

there is a pledge we take

not with a handful of sounds
to praise a handful of cloth
bawled among indifferent strangers
for witness of one’s submission
to the judgment of some state

not on worn and soiled knees
to praise worn and soiled ikons
whispered among flickering candles
for witness of one’s submission
to the judgment of some spirit

not oaths to government, odes to god
nor to any ruler of body or soul
but the pledge of the soul to itself

and what makes good the pledge?

to hold an uncorrupted vision
of what the ideal world can be
and if not born into that world
at least know such a world exists
and become its citizen in spirit

and so to stand unreluctant
lift my eyes to see the highest
not hold a stillborn aspiration
whine of a world I never made
and never let fear bar my way

but walk serene with upraised head
and steady gaze toward the vision
of the joy that I can know on earth