The sharp-shinned hawk is violent by nature
Its beak is designed to tear flesh off prey
With sharp talons it captures a creature
And strength and health comes from feeding this way

Often the response to a blow received
Is to return the blow with increased force
Restrain this impulse and what is perceived
Is a broken cycle and improved course

When violence monopolized by the state
is employed to enforce tranquility
It reduces the death by violence rate
And breeds a semblance of stability

Victims of violence sometimes lose their wealth
They suffer and it’s hard for them to deal
With damaged physical and mental health
Lasting generations for wounds to heal

The psychological variation
Of violence is cruel and to be decried
When done for immediate protection
Is when human violence is justified

Morality is a religious goal
The Bible on violence is not silent
“The Lord tries the righteous, but hates the soul
Of the wicked and those that are violent”