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 © Terrell Martin | Year Posted 2011
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