• A swing and miss.
    A thrust and miss.
    Of course it will always miss.
    For a bokken against nothing
    Will never prevail.

    But what of it's wielder?
    With each swing,
    Does he himself become stronger?
    Does his hands not harden
    After swinging the bokken
    Against a dummy?
    Does he not gain knowledge
    Through tough sparring?

    As the wielder grew,
    A young warrior is born.
    Now with strength and power,
    The bokken is set aside
    For the real steel.

    The bokken may never
    Become stronger.
    But as a guiding hand,
    It becomes a yearning.