a stone kicked
into a wasp’s nest
hurts your foot more
than the injury that caused it
has no eyes
so clouds the mind
cannot perceive the truth.
never without a reason
but seldom with a good one
do not let the sun set on
this force broken by a soft answer –
better to cross fragile ice
than a fasting man.
do not trust with a sword
folly without power
an expensive luxury
hunger and delay stir –
its physician
reason
its remedy
delay
and silence
the answer.
anger
Note: all lines are taken from the ‘Anger’ entry of Routledge Book of World Proverbs, ed. Jon R. Stone.