Shadows of Moral Dilemmas

Something lugubrious lies lurking Inside every human being, Preventing us from reaching Our propitious potential. It follows us from cradle to grave Leaving no one unscathed In the ever-present shadows of moral dilemmas Within the cavernous reaches of our hearts and minds. We struggle unceasingly with this tug-of war Between wrong and right, Darkness and light And occasionally, get lost in the battle. We do what we can to follow Whatever religiously worshipful upbringing we learned, Hoping that we won’t wallow In oceans of mental mud Or get burned. And so we listen To that still small voice inside That tries so hard to rise Above all the muck, mire and desires Laid out before us To follow the narrow path up The mountain of purposeful possibilities. Never quite reaching the peak Of morale perfection, however, We tend to stumble and bumble our ways around Giving in to nature’s temptations In multitudinous ways By allowing our inherent weaknesses To take control of our destiny. Some call it sin but then again, It may be we’re still learning to live. Because life is no game And neither is shame When we’re trying so hard To give.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2011

Poem

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Effendi Avatar
November 7, 2011 at 8:07 AM
Long time no chat, Terry. Hope you are well?
Wesley Avatar
September 15, 2011 at 10:46 AM
You take me up and down in this thought provoking verse Terry. Do we ever listen to the still small voice inside? You point out life's deepest dilemmas in such a special way but then you always do.
Wesley Avatar
September 7, 2011 at 8:48 PM
Deep and emotional Terry, I followed the story and find it to be full of fascinating descriptions to five one a lot to think about.
Wesley Avatar
September 7, 2011 at 8:49 PM
not five but give LOL
Jones Avatar
August 4, 2011 at 7:11 PM
my two cents worth...(take it for what it's worth)... I like the first five and the last five lines. lost me in the middle. also, the centering made it hard to read... this is a left-justified poem.
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