Vanity

God offered me omnipotence

by giving me a chance to choose

I stood bold stance, and took that chance

to ever walk within his shoes

 

He then offered me five choices

Pleasure, Fame, Riches, Love, and Death

I will have won, when it's all done

so I thought as I caught my breath

 

Then so it was I chose Pleasure

with the thought to enjoy my youth

To run with boys, through all life's joys

happiness was my only truth

 

Pleasures that youth delights upon

were disappointing, then grew cold

Sun setting play, that every day

trickled my fingers through, like gold

 

So once again he came to me

"surely wisdom has found you now

Now choose your fate, it's not too late

as I said, this I will allow"

 

"Fame" I said as he smirked at me

I wish to be a man renowned

To play the game, that touts my name

as one deserving of the crown"

 

But Fame was a fickle master

that led to Envy, Greed and Lust

A shinning star and giant car

that in the end had turned to rust

 

Once more God offered me a choice

of the few things that still remain

"Besides your birth, there's one of worth

try using your heart, not your brain"

 

"Riches then" I did say to him

"surely they can cure all my pain

To do what I can as a man

by amassing what I may gain"

 

Wealth was not the answer I sought

left me with none of what I'd won

When in the end, I had no friend

to rejoice in what I had done

 

So one last time he gave me choice

"Love" I said is what I would like

"A woman's chest, where I may rest

perhaps even a little tyke"

 

The time it passed so quickly by

as I then sat beside her grave

A-wash in tears, for all those years

spent chasing dreams, that none could save

 

"My life has run it's course old man

your final choice is the worst yet"

"My love I lost, at such a cost

all that's left of me is regret"

 

He said "since you have not asked me

for advice on what you should do

I gave Death in a dying breath

to one more deserving than you"

 

" Why won't you grant me rest" I said

"what more is there for me to learn"

" That a life of greed serves no need

live with old age, till it's your turn"

Author's Note

It is always the bitterest of pills That which makes us look at ourselves for who we truly are. Not for the one we wished to be. Like many I am no stranger to vanity.LOL We do not deal much in facts when we are contemplating ourselves.
Life has taught me there are three ways we are perceived.
1. The way we see ourselves
2. The way others see us.
3. The way we truly are

Reviews

[Susan 🦋]

Omgoodness! So much here to contemplate!.. the overall theme is the endless "missed" opportunities granted to us in this lifetime!...and why must it take a lifetime for some of us to finally get it. For me your STAND OUT line is

" I gave Death in a dying breath
to one more deserving than you"
WOW, my take..Heaven, the ultimate reward.
BUT, there IS a hint of understanding....There is always hope when you rise each morning and face a new day! LOVE this!! A wonderful read!!! thank you very much! :-)

[Tate Morgan]

Susan thank you fir stopping by and commenting it's nice to meet you I am Tate

[Susan 🦋]

I really enjoyed this piece! Hope to read more soon.

[Tate Morgan]

Stop by any time I have been absent for some time from here. I go through spurts when i write and then i stop. I am recovering from one of those where I took time to let the well refill itself

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn..]

Tate,

It pretty much looks as if you have written my biography here, word for word and line for line, and now I am out of time and simply await my turn ... But there is one thing I would add: F**k God! ...

A very thought provoking and most contemplative piece of poetry ...

Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham

[Tate Morgan]

We all go through the stages of life. Only
In the end do we shed the pride that allows humility

[M. J. Smith]

You chose as all men choose. You are neither wise nor foolish. Merely human. How would any of us choose, offered the choice? Not death. Most of us fear that most of all. What then, of all those choices, do we choose? Sad as parting is, Love remains the wisest. For without love what are we?

[Tate Morgan]

Love the eternal leveling of one to another

[Amber Stone]

Tate, this poem makes such great impact and sets a good lesson of life. your writing style is sooo personal and unique (personal brand within) ....reminds me shakespeare's the medieval sonnets lovely teleported to our timeline with your personal touch. thank U for sharing this beauty (making a bow). sincerely. Amber

[Tate Morgan]

Im humbled Amber. Thank you. I look back on my years. To see where I last fell. Life for me has been a roller coaster of highs and lows. I ride it with regret and remorse tempered by wisdom gained through tragedy. Yet I have been lucky to have truly lived and felt the pain and love that a real life should experience. With humility I tell you. give more than you get. Take nothing expect nothing. However there are times when it is best to learn to take compliments and say thank you. As others joy in giving them as much as you and I. The truth of life is that when you can feel the joy of another and the pain of another You will have mastered Empathy and wisdom.

[Einstein Noodle]

dang! now there goes one more stupid than I .. and I thought that impossible Tate! ;) it's all about choices .. every minute of everyday .. opportunities to do the hard right thing .. small stuff usually .. smile ... helping hand to hold a door perhaps .. small that gets bigger as we go, says i! not sure your title fits exactly .. maybe "choice" ... or "two roads" ... but i think i get you sir ... you are looking at yer self and thinking ... i have not read a true confessional poem from you ... we're getting old aren't we? ... life revues going on ... luv ya man! brutal honesty and introspection says i!
E.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Gene. I am brutally honest when I speak of my own failings. I have no one to blame but myself for the things that I must own. But I never was too bad,Just immature I guess. Thank you for an honest appraisal. I appreciate your thoughts old friend.

[Einstein Noodle]

ahk! i have you well beat on immature .. believe me now .. listen to me latter :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

[Tate Morgan]

Lol 😂 I doubt it

[Chris Shaw]

Life is about choices and it isn't surprising to find that mistakes are made on the journey taken. The journey can teach us much about ourselves. They say that with age comes wisdom and I believe that. Love is everything. We don't always appreciate that. There is much to contemplate in your stanzas Tate. Always a pleasure to read your work. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones.

Chris

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Chris I’m always trying to be a better man. Always feel like I have a long way to go

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

Thanks once more for another great piece of work from yourself. I always always enjoy the music that you choose, esp love van, and this piece is woven with beauty and words expressed, thanks so much for this entry into my comp good luck

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you as you know all of my works come from my own life and experience. Some lessons were observed while others were lived. A smart man learns from his mistakes. While a wise man learns from yours.

[Julie McCarthy (juliespenhere)]

Thanks u are welcome

[Julie McCarthy (juliespenhere)]

hi judging this copetition belatedy it must of slipped through my fingers somehow mysteriously.
read morehi judging this copetition belatedy it must of slipped through my fingers somehow mysteriously.
good luck judging today

[Tate Morgan]

Hi Julie nice to hear from you tonight Just happened to be online

[poetryloverr44]

This is beautiful, amazing work!

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you very much

[Great Aunt Astri]

A true reflection on our hopes and aspirations in Life. But I like the way you write in a slightly jovial way. We can blame it all on God for giving us those choices! I think He is a bit cruel though, blaming you for not asking for his advice, and making you live with old age! But actually, in my experience Life gets better (well, easier) the older you get, when you just have to accept that life did not quite go to plan. Then death, and who knows ...........another life?

[Tate Morgan]

I worry only about the here and now as I think I’ll worry about the afterlife when I’m
There

[Najam Us Saher]

True reflection of human nature written effectively in a poem, I loved the concept and the rhyme in this poem, I read this a long time ago probably a year and I couldn't forget the message this poem contains. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you najam

[Najam Us Saher]

Even though I read very few poems of yours, I admire your work. It is my pleasure reading them.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you so much

[Najam Us Saher]

You're most welcome.