El Matador

"Take the bull by its horns,"
The wild man said,
"Else you'll find yourself worn,
Or else you'll be dead."

I nodded assent, not then knowing
The meaning he meant with his words.
I nodded assent, then believing
I'd heard all there was to be heard.

The wild man entered the ring,
His slender frame ne'er quivering.
His hands did not shake
And his eyes were on fire,
Ad when the bell sounded -- ding!
He took the bull by its horns.

"Take the bull by its horns," he'd said.
All my life's been reserved, passive at best.
What if his saying
Was meant for the heart
That lives in my chest?

I've never lived half so bright
As he did that glorious night
When he took the bull by its stony head
And stood up triumphant, not dead.