Far West Contemplations

Is it sometimes best to pass away young?
ask the man in the iron lung
Shall wealth be shared by the many or the best?
ask the sage like a pauper dressed
Is love embodied in a diamond ring?
ask the seagull with the oil-black wing
Is there a time when the wise seek a noose?
ask the maniac who can't a meaningful sentence produce
If you never slow down, do you never grow old?
ask Hendrix and Morrison, worm bitten and cold
Which is mightier, the pen or the sword?
ask Santana by the world adored
Shall every soul have an equal say?
ask the billions whom to dead gods pray
Is it best to seek grace or clamorous fame?
ask Epicurus or Lennon; they'll tell you the same
Who is wisest, the old or the young?
ask the girl who put the flower in the gun
Is it cruel to shake salt on a slug?
crueler by far to give an addict a drug
Is life a fierce struggle or a sharing of love?
you'll get a true answer from the hawk or the dove
Will the future be bright or the end of days?
Ask yourself how you can better your ways