Life

I do not answer malice with curses.
And I do not spit venom in my words.
I know, everyone tallies their debts in some ledger,
inscribed in a heavy book somewhere above...

I am a dreamer. A touch naive...
I believe in goodness as something real, not phantom.
But I know kindness can border on folly,
if you keep offering the other cheek.

I'm not afraid, though I stumble and fall.
I've taken many blows where they hurt most.
Yet despite each wound,
I've lived through them all, kept my fire burning.

I answer only to my conscience—
let her know me, let her judge as she sees fit.
I believe in the strength of truth.
And I swear to myself to remain...