--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Actually, this is a poem my father once…" description: "\"“Actually, this is a poem my father once showed me, a long time ago. It has been bastardized many times, in many ways, but this is the original: The Co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/james-patrick-kinney-91605_bitter-cold_actually-this-is-a-poem-my-father-once-s_878120.jpg" --- # Actually, this is a poem my father once showed me, a long… ![“Actually, this is a poem my father once showed me, a long time ago. It has been bastardized many times, in many ways, but this is the original: The Cold Within Six men trapped by happenstance, in bleak and bitter cold Each possessed a stick of wood, or so the story's told. Their dying fire in need…” quote by James Patrick Kinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/james-patrick-kinney-91605_bitter-cold_actually-this-is-a-poem-my-father-once-s_878120.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/james-patrick-kinney-91605_bitter-cold_actually-this-is-a-poem-my-father-once-s_878120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/james-patrick-kinney-91605_bitter-cold_actually-this-is-a-poem-my-father-once-s_878120.jpg) > ““Actually, this is a poem my father once showed me, a long time ago. It has been bastardized many times, in many ways, but this is the original: The Cold Within Six men trapped by happenstance, in bleak and bitter cold Each possessed a stick of wood, or so the story's told. Their dying fire in need of logs, the first man held his back For of the faces round the fire, he noticed one was black. One man looking cross the way, saw one not of his church And could not bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch. The third one sat in tattered clothes, he gave his coat a hitch Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich? The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor. The black man's face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from his sight, For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white. And the last man of this forlorn group did naught except for gain, Giving only to those who gave, was how he played the game The logs held tight, in death's still hands, was proof of human sin They didn't die from the cold without, they died from the cold within.”” James Patrick Kinney ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tale of men in cold who selfishly hoard warmth, showing how inner hatred and prejudice cause greater suffering than the external cold. **In simple terms:** Inner hatred kills more than cold. Key Takeaway Cultivate generosity over selfishness. Themes prejudice selfishness human nature cold morality Mood somber critical Type Bitter cold:1 Death:0 Hate:1 Long time:0 Long time ago:0 Parenting:0 Poem:1 Poetry:1 Prejudice:1 Rich man:0 Time:0 X men:0 Poem Father:0 Logs Man:0 Cold Men:0 Wood Story:0 When to use this quote - teamwork situations - resource sharing - social justice education Key Concepts empathy social critique moral lesson Questions to Reflect On - How does personal prejudice affect group survival? - What can we do to share resources fairly? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex social issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Rich man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-man/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [X men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/x-men/) ## Related quotes > [“Poem for My Father You closed the door. I was on the other side, screaming. It was black in your mind. 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Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [If you do not feel the bitter cold inside you when you look at the poor trembling out of cold, it means you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-do-not-feel-the-bitter-cold-inside-you-when-you-look-at-the/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [For this relief, much thanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/for-this-relief-much-thanks/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Men Wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-shackleton/men-wanted-for-hazardous-journey-small-wages-bitter-cold-long-months/) [Ernest Shackleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-shackleton/) > [The dog writhing in the gutter, its back broken by a passing car, knows what it is to be alive. So too with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-greenstein/the-dog-writhing-in-the-gutter-its-back-broken-by-a-passing-car-knows/) George Greenstein > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) ## More by James Patrick Kinney > [“The Cold Within" Six humans trapped in happenstance In dark and bitter cold, Each one possessed a stick of wood, Or so the story's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patrick-kinney/the-cold-within-six-humans-trapped-in-happenstance-in-dark-and-bitter/) James Patrick Kinney Explore all 2 James Patrick Kinney quotes ## More Bitter cold quotes > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [The dog writhing in the gutter, its back broken by a passing car, knows what it is to be alive. 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Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Her gaze went with her, into a room with walls of frozen earth, and a floor the same, the latter split from corner to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/her-gaze-went-with-her-into-a-room-with-walls-of-frozen-earth-and-a/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“All his life, ever since he was really small, Milo had been very bothered by sudden changes of plan. More than bothered. Being surprised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-milford/all-his-life-ever-since-he-was-really-small-milo-had-been-very/) [Kate Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-milford/) > [The fruit of our labors is sweet when the work is consecrated to God. But we have to be able to weather the conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-l-jack/the-fruit-of-our-labors-is-sweet-when-the-work-is-consecrated-to-god/) [Elaine L. Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-l-jack/) > [I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-don-t-mean-to-sound-bitter-cold-or-cruel-but-i-am-so-that-s-how-it/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [“Gripped with bitter cold, ice-locked, Petersburg burned in delirium. One knew: out there, invisible behind the curtain of fog, the red and yellow columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/gripped-with-bitter-cold-ice-locked-petersburg-burned-in-delirium-one/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [“So many leaves have fallen on my life. Some settled nicely to rest, but most fell, withered to bitter cold and drifted on. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-many-leaves-have-fallen-on-my-life-some-settled-nicely-to-rest-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as we are alive, we feel fear. It is an intrinsic part of our makeup, as natural as a bitter cold winter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/as-long-as-we-are-alive-we-feel-fear-it-is-an-intrinsic-part-of-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [“IF THE HOUSE IS BITTER COLD, ALL THE FLUIDS THEREIN, IF NOT FROZEN, ARE STIFF AND SLOW.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-holzer/if-the-house-is-bitter-cold-all-the-fluids-therein-if-not-frozen-are/) [Jenny Holzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-holzer/) > [“In the Norse sagas Ragnarok was supposed to be preceded by the Fimbulwinter - thirty years of bitter cold, without a single day of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-william-brown/in-the-norse-sagas-ragnarok-was-supposed-to-be-preceded-by-the/) [E. William Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-william-brown/) Browse all 44 Bitter cold quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Actually, this is a poem my father once showed me, a long time ago. It has been bastardized many times, in many ways, but this is the original: The Cold Within Six men trapped by happenstance, in bleak and bitter cold Each possessed a stick of wood, or so the story's told. Their dying fire in need of logs, the first man held his back For of the faces round the fire, he noticed one was black. One man looking cross the way, saw one not of his church And could not bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch. The third one sat in tattered clothes, he gave his coat a hitch Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich? The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor. 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