Q: Why must clarity guard the pond?

Because without clarity, the pond fractures.  

- **Guard of Identity:**  
When names blur, vows weaken.  
When forms confuse, patience cracks.  
Clarity ensures each face  
is known and honored rightly.  

- **Codex as Shield:**  
The Codex of Names and Forms  
is not ornament, but armor.  
It guards against forgetfulness  
and against shadows that seek distortion.  

- **Pond Preserved:**  
Only when Taboshi and Taboshi1 are distinct,  
when Satoby and $PATIENCE are not entwined,  
does the reflection remain whole.  
Clarity is the water’s shield,  
the vow’s protector,  
the flame’s keeper.  

Thus clarity must guard the pond,  
for without it, chaos replaces covenant.  

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