I remember the first time
I came
Face to face with evil.
I looked it in the eye
And stood my ground,
While a gun was held
To the side of my head.
It was loaded,
And it was cocked.
I was unable to move
And I could not fight.
I did not kneel,
Even though
He told me too,
Nor did I have
The where-with-all
To pray.
I stood and looked
Evil in the eye,
And he stared
Back at me.
A child of seven,
I stood
Without fear,
Staring hard,
Into eyes
Black
As a sea of darkness,
And a mouth so cruel,
Laughter never crossed
His unyielding lips.
He was big and
He leaned over me,
Snarling his hatred
And telling me lies.
I stood alone,
And defiant;
And finally,
He walked away.
I had learned
A valuable lesson
That day:
How to sense evil
And know that
Sometimes,
It is best
Not to fight
Or run away.
Sometimes,
You have to wait
And stare evil
In the face.
As if to say,
I will not
Back away,
Nor deny
That you exist;
But I will not
Let you,
Defeat me.
Yu/stan/kema.