Warrior Resolutions

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.”  ~Henry Moore

Warrior Resolutions

I resolve to do this year
What I have done today
And that’s to put into motion
All of the things I say

I resolve to stop making
A list of things to do
I resolve to recognize
I must put ground to shoe

I resolve to stop wishing
And picturing my goals
I resolve to recognize
It is *I* that controls

Not a list of resolutions
That will be ignored
Every time I’m feeling lazy
Lethargic or bored

I resolve to not rise to
My expectation’s level
Instead my degree of training
Is in which I will revel

I resolve to not care if it’s
New Year’s Day or not
A calendar does not control
Potential I have got

I resolve to shut up now
And go forth and kick ass
And not waste any more time talking
Of what I’ll amass

                     ~Miro

Hero

Hero

Heroes are what children need
As they begin to grow
Someone who values morals
And hard work won’t forgo

When I was a little boy
I knew a hero who
Embodied all the traits that I
Would employ when I grew

This hero worked his hardest to
Provide for all his kin
He put the needs of family
Before his own therein

He didn’t go out partying
And didn’t socialize
Every weekend, ‘cause to him
His family was the prize

Many times the places where
He worked would just close down
He never got depressed or drank
To make his sorrows drown

Tomorrow was a new day so
This hero hit the street
Never feeling anxious or
Dramatic or downbeat

He’d always find a new job ‘cause
The bosses plainly saw
A trait he had that somehow would
Employers always draw

His English wasn’t all that good
But his eyes did reveal
Fluently that this hero
Did his job with much zeal

He didn’t moan and whine and cry
When the work day began
He always gave his best and always
Acted like a man

He cared about the things that mattered
God, his kids, his wife
And didn’t give a crap about
The petty things in life

Like competition that so many
Wasted money on
While others were out making bets
This hero mowed his lawn

While others spent their dough on latest
Fashions, travel, cars
And blew all of their money at
The race tracks and the bars

This hero put in overtime
So that his house was paid
‘Cause he never believed in
Depending on bank’s aid

He never owned a credit card
Because it made no sense
To buy with money that you didn’t
Have in present tense

This hero may not have been a
Philosopher or scholar
But wisdom can also come from
Those who wear a blue collar

From him I learned integrity
From him I learned respect
I learned to stand up as a man
And as a man, protect

This hero taught me to say “No,
That doesn’t work for me”
He taught me sometimes you have to
Speak up and disagree

When someone doesn’t try their best
When someone drags their ass
When someone shows great disrespect
When someone shows no class

When someone doesn’t care as much
As you push yourself to
When someone takes for granted what
In life you can pursue

A child needs a hero as
It grows to an adult
Take it serious, don’t be
An aloof insult

To the concept of mentor
Teacher, trainer, guide
Be a hero so your kids
Remember you with pride

                                for Dad

Code of Bushidō: Loyalty (Chuugi)

Code of Bushidō: Loyalty (Chuugi)

The last virtue of Bushidō
Cannot be practiced by
One without humility
Who holds themselves more high

Than any other person, force
Creator or ideal
Loyalty’s a virtue that
To egos won’t appeal

Loyalty is faithfulness
To family and to peers
To masters who have trained to help
You overcome your fears

Loyalty to your country
And your ideals as well
An automatic adherence
Without the need to dwell

Loyalty is when you won’t
Stab someone in the back
When they’re not around to give
Response to your attack

Loyalty is when you choose
To hold someone up high
Even though everyone else
Just spits into their eye

Loyalty means no gossip
No speaking thoughtless things
Loyalty is standing up
For masters and for kings

For Saviors and for prophets and
For creators and Gods
A warrior will not betray
Just so they’re not at odds

The samurai were loyal to
The point where they would pay
Their very lives so loyalty
Would not be led astray

So for a second, think, is there
Something you would die for?
‘Cause if there’s not, then you have no
Loyalty at your core

You’re only loyal to yourself
Which is called “selfishness”
And since the code is intertwined
Then you will not possess

Any other virtues that
The samurai maintained
When a virtue’s sacrificed
The others aren’t sustained

But when a virtue is practiced
The others grow in turn
That’s the only way to rise
The only way to learn

The only way to walk the path
That samurai did walk
The only way to awaken
Discover and unlock

The warrior that waits within
Who doesn’t care what year
Or part of Earth you live in, only
That your heart is clear

That it’s filled with Rectitude
Courage, Benevolence
Respect, Honesty, Honor
Loyalty that’s immense

Follow that forgotten code
And all of you will know
The strength that Warrior-Knights had
In days of long ago

                        ~Miro

Code of Bushidō: Honor (Meiyo)

Code of Bushidō: Honor (Meiyo)

Honor is integrity
Adherence to a code
Unimpaired and unwavered when
Others choose to goad

Honor’s not a part-time thing
No momentary lapses
In integrity when someone
Else’s peace collapses

Warrior’s will hold fast and
Honor the code they follow
With poise and grace through difficult
Times while others will wallow

Honor is a self-respect
That’s earned and can’t be bought
It cannot be stolen and to
The selfish can’t be taught

It is the courage and resolve
To make the right decision
Even when you’re not under
Anyone’s supervision

Honor is not sacrificed
To lie or cheat or steal
To take a shortcut that will make
An easier ordeal

The Warrior-Knights earned themselves
The reputation of
Being men of honor ‘cause
They held themselves above

Basic human desires
Like comfort, ease and pleasure
They knew pursuing just those things
Made men of little measure

Honor’s held in high regard
‘Cause it’s a selfless act
To sacrifice your own yearning
So that your code is backed

And it’s a virtue that lairs
And thieves cannot deny
They say “There goes a warrior
Who’s much stronger than I”

                            ~Miro

Code of Bushidō: Respect (Rei)

Code of Bushidō: Respect (Rei)

Virtue four of Bushidō:
The ethic of respect
A concept that has long since died
But now we’ll resurrect

To show regard for other folks
To see what they have done
To pay respect for all the work
And miles that they run

To take notice of efforts made
And make efforts as well
To not just think of compliments
But to speak up and tell

To make the little gestures that
Show others our esteem
A bow, a nod, a handshake or
A smile where we beam

Waiting ‘till one’s finished speaking
To give our two cents
Cutting someone off is a
Disrespect so immense

Letting others say their peace
And though we disagree
Having respect for their view
And saying “Let it be”

Keeping promises and taking
The time to respond
Warriors and respect are
An unbreakable bond

Paying back or paying forward
Good deeds paid to us
Action that is second nature
No need to discuss

The key to respect is that others
All come before you
Respect is something that selfish
People cannot accrue

Because they’re too busy concerned
With what they want from you
To be able to pay respect
As true warriors do

                         ~Miro

Code of Bushidō: Benevolence (Jin)

Code of Bushidō: Benevolence (Jin)

The third virtue of Bushidō
Is their benevolence
Although they possessed deadly skill
Their mercy was immense

They didn’t focus solely on
Themselves or their rich kings
They had acuity to notice
All the little things

The sick, the poor, the downtrodden
The broken ones in need
The samurai were never too
Busy for a good deed

Understanding, slow to anger
Full of patience, grace
Tolerance and charity
For those who could not face

Challenges and struggles that
Were too much to endure
Suffering for Bushidō
Acted much like a lure

A sense of duty to assist
To use their heightened state
For the benefit of others
To reduce their weight

Benevolence is a kind act
That needn’t be returned
It isn’t only saved for those
Who have paid or have earned

Benevolence is doing what
You know deep down is right
An integral part of the ancient
Code of Warrior-Knight

                       ~Miro

Code of Bushidō: Courage (Yu)

Code of Bushidō: Courage (Yu)

The second virtue followed by
The samurai of old
Is courage, the control of fear
The art of being bold

The willingness to face a test
With fortitude and nerve
Ability through thick in thin
To have your grace preserve

To step forward when most would run
And say, “Give me your best”
And when the storm rages, courage
Means beating on your chest

Snarling with intensity
And fire in the eyes
Where others shrink and cower, the
Warrior does arise

Ability to not let fear
Control your destiny
To not let nervousness or worry
Make you hide or flee

Courage is the knowledge that
What cannot end your life
Only serves to make you stronger
And sharpen the knife

It gives you more experience
And makes you more aware
That is why a warrior
Is not so quick to scare

They see the opportunity
That lies in every trial
Another conquered obstacle
To throw upon the pile

                                ~Miro

Code of Bushidō: Rectitude (Gi)

Code of Bushidō: Rectitude (Gi)

The first virtue of Bushidō
Is Rectitude which means
Justice taken into all
Of your daily routines

“Just what is right?” some folks will ask
“What makes you think you know?”
“Who are you to think you can
Enlighten us and show?”

The answer is I’m just like you
And we all know deep down
The difference between right and wrong
Though some do try to drown

The voice that tells us what is right
The conscience deep within
The truth that keeps us from shortcuts
And leads to our chagrin

Therein lies the key factor
Behind true rectitude:
It’s when choices that are not
Popular are pursued

It’s when everyone else cheats
And scams and lies and steals
And you refuse to go along
And sacrifice ideals

It’s when you decide to stand
Apart from everyone
Be labeled as “pious” as
They all insult and shun

It’s when you don’t think just of
Your own comfort and gain
It’s when you don’t focus on
All that you can attain

It’s when balance, fairness and
Equality are more
Important than all of the nice
Trinkets that you can score

Without it, all your talent and
Learning will do no good
Unless the virtue of justice
Is fully understood

Making the decision that
Is not the easy one
The one that is not popular
The one that is not fun

It may elicit much unrest
And grievance from the crowd
But warriors can’t hear them ‘cause
Combined they’re not as loud

As the voice that’s deep within
Demanding rectitude
A warrior cannot ignore
That voice and can’t elude

A warrior is confident
And never loses face
As long as rectitude is something
They fully embrace

                                 ~Miro

Ribbons of Angst

“When you feel fear, use the sword.  Take it up here and cut the mind to ribbons.  Slash through all those regrets and fears, anything else that lives in the past and the future.” ~Socrates, “Way of the Peaceful Warrior”

Ribbons of Angst

You’ll rarely find a rhyme of mine
In which I fret, bemoan and whine
In fact there may not be a single
Angst and torment laden jingle

True, there are some diatribes
Which contain a few sterner vibes
But not once have I written where
Just misery I did declare

There always is a message of
Empowerment, support and love
So since I’m human and still feel
The same frustrations, what’s the deal?

Where are the poems in which I
Kvetch, complain, lament and cry?
I feel the same feelings as you
But with my sword I cut them through

I recognized those tormentors
Unsheathed my blade and fought those wars
To ribbons they were reduced to
And with the wind, away they blew

I do not have a single piece
Of ribbon to make forehead crease
I could not humor you at all
Of fears that tried to make me fall

And that is why I do not speak
Of moments where I’m scared and weak
My blade reduces every fear
To ribbons which then disappear

When you are suffering and hurt
And grab a pen and want to blurt
Instead, try grabbing sword instead
And face the battle in your head

Confront your torments and swing hard
And leave them severed, slashed and marred
Reduce the angst to ribbons, then
Write of your conquest with that pen

                                           ~Miro

Jealousy

“A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.” ~Robert A. Heinlein

Jealousy

Today I want to talk about
A trait that I can’t stand
Jealousy’s an attribute
We should work to disband

The definition of ‘jealous’
Is to resent someone
Who has acquired some success
While you have received none

A mental unease from suspicion
Shortcoming or fear
Of a so-called rival who is
Actually a peer

“I’m so jealous!” I always hear
People say when they see
Fortune smile on someone else
And all they think is “Me!”

“Why that person and not Me?”
Is what the jealous think
But where’s the jealousy whenever
That rival does sink?

When hardships befall someone else
Where is the green eyed beast?
The jealous just go “Phew!” and think
“It is not Me, at least!”

The common trait of jealousy
Is that it’s all inward
“To think the world does not revolve
Around Me is absurd!”

They think that every stroke of luck
And fortune should be for
Themselves and that is why it is
A trait I do abhor

The jealous don’t say “Kudos!” or
“Congrats on your success!”
While your fruition brings you joy
To them it causes stress

They don’t see the war you have fought
Or hardships you’ve endured
Because they’re still just children
And have not yet matured

“Kid-ults” with a self-absorbed
Concept of everything
Only interested in what
The world to them can bring

“Nevermind the other people
Who walk the Earth too
How can I be happy when
Good fortune smiles on you?”

Next time, please think long and hard
Before you use that term
If you think how it’s defined
It should cause you to squirm

To think about how selfish and
Self-centered it would make
A person who utters that word
And maybe it will wake

The altruist you have within
Who will be happy for
Another person’s happiness
And wish them even more

                                        ~Miro