A man said to another,
“Speak to me in truth.”
Then he said,
“But measure your words.”
The first time, truth was spoken.
It was hard.
It was plain.
Nothing was concealed.
He departed in pain,
yet his path remained before him.
The second time, words were softened.
Truth was bent.
Care was placed above clarity.
He departed at ease,
and his path was lost.
After many days, the man understood:
Truth strikes,
yet it leaves a man standing.
False mercy spares pain,
and lowers a man to the ground.
From that day, he no longer said,
“Spare me.”
He said instead,
“Leave me my footing.”