Mistake

A man made fun of me today
And I ignored him.
A man raised his voice in anger at me today
And I pitied him
A man raised his hand to strike me today
And I smote him down.

Mistake not pacifism for weakness
Mistake not pity for cowardice
Mistake not a softly spoken word for fear.
Or your mistake will cost you.

A man raised his hand to me today.
He mistook my soft words and kind heart
Thought them to be signs of fear and weakness
A man made a mistake today.
I did not.

Peace must be obtained
Not through begging, but proving to be strong
Too strong for someone to push you around

I pity those who know not the path they tread
Those who think loud words make one seem tough
When toughness is a matter of will

I struck a man down today.
I did it without pity or remorse
He made his decision and paid the price

I will not weep for him
I will not lose sleep to fear
I am not afraid
.
I have seen Hell on this earth
And that so called man
That man who thought he was so tough
Who thought me a weak coward
Learned first hand what happens when you attack
One who has not only seen Hell, but lived through it.

A man made a mistake today.
I did not.