What is it to be brave?
     Is it an armored gleam, a knight upon a horse, a sharpened blade?
     Or, rather, is it something less flashy,
     speaking against the norm but with your values?

What is it to be kind?
     Is it shielding a child from a storm, offering a shoulder, or raising money for charity?
     Could it be that being kind is in the little things,
     strewn out across lifetimes, maybe tangled in knots? 

What is it to be gentle?
     Is it clasping a mouse without hurting it, knowing just the right words to stop a tear, or moving
     softly and speaking even more so?
     Can anyone learn to expect that
     being gentle comes from more than just things noticed by many, yet understood by few?

What is it to be talented?
     Is it acing a solo with 1 day of practice, painting a masterpiece at age 5, and covering letter grades like trophies?
     Is it true that talent is not just given,
    but can be earned with devotion to a craft?

What is it to be all of these things?
     Is it what people respect, what they expect, what they reflect?
     Do they notice that being it all
     is hardly being at all?