The Polished Blade

Onyx of Sonic Equinox  q
presents

The Polished Blade

Sept 20, 1997

The rugged cliff perched
high into the sky is made
host to a warrior this
morning, as the sun rises
upon them both.

He stands silently, and
still, holding his fine,
polished blade out in front
of him, in a defensive
stance.

On the back of the blade,
he spies his own
reflection, staring back,
perplexed.

The blade he holds was not
meant to heal, but to harm.

Great warriors have been
made from pain and death.

Great warriors are built
on the destruction of
their enemies.

The lone warrior vows not
to become such.

To keep one's blade clean,
and polished, one must know
when to put one's blade
away.

Through just battles, the
outer blade may scratch,
it may dent, chip, or even
snap, but so long as the
battles are just, and
those whose lives were
lost, unavoidable, the
blade shall remain cleaner
than any great warrior's.

The lone warrior steped
down from the cliff,
resheathing his polished
blade. A warrior who'd
never become a great
warrior, but merely a
great man.