For Cyrano

I once had the misfortune to attack
(for as they say, in ignorance, there's bliss)
none other than Messier de Bergerac
and all over a trifle -- just a kiss.

Oh, had I known the gentleman's sharp tongue,
I surely would have been more circumspect;
but as it was, equating me to dung
was merely the beginning, I expect.

What does one do, when abject ridicule
gets punished with an equitable turn?
When seeking to paint someone else a fool
gets paid back, and in kind? When will I learn?

Full of contrition, I shall thus compose
the story of one beaten, by a nose.

Author notes: Image from Amazon English sonnet with French themes