Once Burned

They appear curiously benign;
Slender pagoda stalks,
Delicate leaves with whiskers silky fine,
And a righteous posture that mocks
The wise, and welcomes fools
To touch, to test the mettle,
To discover the rules
Of stinging nettle.

The nettle demands liberation,
Teaches mental self-purification.
Once burned, lesson learned.
Twice burned, lesson spurned.

  ~ Daniel F Mitchell