Three European Swords <br /> <br />The two rapiers lie side by side - <br />mistrustful, anxious to engage, <br />fence the other one into a corner, <br />drive the point home! <br /> <br />They are the vainest of swords: <br />proud of their sleek blades, <br />their fatal points.They rest uneasily <br />in their sheaths, exult in their opponent's flesh. <br /> <br />This is the way of the sword. <br /> <br />The broadsword casts its mighty <br />shadow. Its heavy balance can be <br />controlled only by men of wild <br />courage. They hack, batter, crush <br />those on whom the shadow falls. <br /> <br />Macbeth heaved the broadsword <br />when in the King's name he slew <br />Macdonwald. The sword smashed <br />the traitor's helmet, cut through <br />his brain, severed head from body. <br /> <br />This is the way of the sword. <br /> <br />Three Samurai Swords <br /> <br />His sword is the samurai's soul. <br />Deep in Zen readiness, his fatal skill <br />serves the will of his Daimyo. <br />The blade, as sharp as the point, <br />slices nimbly through the armor <br /> <br />and flesh of his opponent, his lord's <br />enemy. After his victory, the samurai <br />sets the sword aside. He performs <br />the rituals to calm the soul <br />of his worthy opponent. He realizes - <br /> <br />one day, his soul will be calmed.... <br /> <br />This is the way of the sword. <br /> <br />The Red Sword <br /> <br />Slowly, deliberately, <br />with infinite attention to the Tao, <br />the Tai Chi devotee dances. <br />He waves the Red Sword in tandem <br />with his high steps. It slices <br /> <br />the ambient air, causing no wound, <br />drawing no blood. Liberation <br />is what the dancer seeks for himself, <br />for his loved ones, for everyone. <br />The Red Sword's repose will soon be his repose. <br /> <br />This is the way of the sword.<br /><br />Daniel Brick<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/repose-and-aggression/
