Valiant Lips

My dear, I share with you a truth: A life lesson I have lived. Discretion is valor, a silent shield, A strength that guards the heart revealed. Be not the man who parrots all he hears, Who, finding no one to tell, Confides in the door. He's a fool lost in words that wound and bore. Let discretion be your strength— Bridle your tongue with care, Let intuition guide your ear, Be perceptive, be aware. God may have endowed such a man With heavenly graces, But the ruin of him will be His own endless talk, so careless and vain. To know what holds value for another Is a burden not for faintest minds; A sacred trust to keep, A treasure in silence deep. Discretion defines character— Be the safe where secrets sleep. Be eager to listen and to grasp, But slow to speak. In this wisdom, your honor will last. Valiant are the lips that stay sealed Even at the tempest of awkwardness.