Read poem and answer questions at bottom 10 points
they asked that man for his time
so that he could link it to history.
they asked him for his hands,
because for trying times
nothing is better than a good pair of hands.
they asked him for his eyes
that once had tears
so that he should see the bright side
(the bright side of life, especially)
because to see horror one startled eye is enough.
they asked him for his lips,
parched and split, to affirm,
to belch up, with each affirmation, a dream
(the great dream)
they asked him for his legs
hard and knotted
(his wandering legs)
because in trying times
is there anything better than a pair of legs
for building or digging ditches?
they asked him for the grove that fed him as a child,
with  it’s  obedient tree.
they asked him for his breast, heart, his shoulders.
they told him
that that was absolutely necessary.
they explained to him later
that all this gift would be useless
unless he turned his tongue over to them,
because in trying times
nothing is so useful in checking hatred or lies.
and  finally  they begged him,
, to go take a walk.
because in trying times
that is, without a doubt, the decisive test.
what do you think? does it feel relevant to you too? i would love to know what you think, and in the meantime i am going to read this a few more times and explore the world of heberto padillo in more detail.
1 the persona's attitude towards the great dream is
positive
excited
neutral
negative
2 what is the meaning of "checking" in the poem
marking
ensuring
stopping