Poem: Failure

The realization of failure
Sickening, devastating
Feelings of sadness, remorse
Disappointment in self

Searching for the undo button
Doesn’t exist
No chance of reversal
No power over the past
Only the future
Push on into eerie darkness

Frustration now
Anger
Rebellion, Defiance
This system
Forcing you to fail

This isn’t right
Not honest, not fair
There’s criminals among us
Not guilty of legal misdoings
But criminals, just the same

Here, out there
My life, this world
Misplaced priorities
Purpose, cleverly eluded

Despite my best intentions
Despite my fullest efforts
Failure comes battling through
A crazy gunman, set on assassination

Hide, so as not to be a target
There’s safety in the crowd
Mindless idiocy, too
Frustration again

Scream? Cry?
Or keep turning the pedals
Open umbrella, and walk through the rain

Of course you continue
Of course this will pass
Gloomy, regardless
With good reason to be

For through ups and downs
This moment stays with you
A subtle reminder
Of the displeasing reality
And you’re changed

More skeptical, colder
Slower to laugh
The change is small, but existent
Sad, but imperative

For this world is so imperfect
And myself so greatly flawed
And while there’s beauty in imperfection
There’s pain and frustration, too

And I’m reminded of this
With each and every failure.