Promise me,
promise me this day
while the sun is just overhead
even as they strike you down
with a mountain of hate and violence,
remember brother,
man is not our enemy.
Just your pity,
Just your pity,
just your hate
invincible,
limitless,
hatred will never let you face
the beast in man.
And one day,
when you face this beast alone,
your courage intact,
your eyes kind,
out of your smile
will bloom a flower
and those who love you will behold you
across 10,000 worlds of birth and dying.
Alone again,
I'll go on with bent head
but knowing the immortality of love.
And on the long, rough road
both sun and moon will shine,
lighting my way.
Thich Nhat Hanh
(1987) BEING PEACE by Parallax Press
