A Better Man than I (Poetry - Rhyming)

I’ll be never once a craven
I’ll be never twice a fool
I will keep my temper and my word
And always keep my cool

I may yet live a hundred years
Or more before I die
But every day I’ll strive to be
A better man than I

I pledge that I will think before
I let my anger grow
And always purr before I roar
And always let them know

I’ll keep my furies bound
And my muses running free
I’ll keep on trying to become
A better man than me

I’ll ignore an insult given
And give back a smile instead
I will drown my foes in mercy
And with kindness strike them dead

For I have made mistakes before
Of aim and judgment too
And I may make a thousand more
Before my life is through

But I will take the straighter path
I’ll walk it till I die
And every day I’ll try to be
A better man than I.