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

[Carolann Dowsett]

This is very deep and thought provoking. To chase after the things of the world really leads to nothing but emptiness and pain. Love, peace, hope, faith and rest are highly underrated. For me, to walk in God's peace with His love as my guide is all I need. Beautifully written.

[Green]

It seemed almost like a reverse of the story of God giving Solomon wisdom to me but with a twist, for lack of a better word. It sure expresses the sentiment that no matter how much human's think they have it all figured out, they'll miss the obvious answer until the very last second.

[Pax]

i dig a furtune of wisdom in your poem:
"Fame was a fickled master
that led to Envy, Greed and Lust"
~very much true..
"a life of greed serves no need"
~this short senstence stuck in my head that gives a profound meaning in life...

life has tought you really well mr. tate, i thank you for sharing this.

[The Refined Poet]

wow... the transitions are so true to form and well expressed.

[Heather]

remarkable, the choices a young man, a man in his prime and then an older man had to make when given choices of his life path and the music choice just made it a perfect read for me. The message and wisdom of this poem resonates with me on my own journey through this complicated life. Thank you for such a remarkable poem and I am a HUGE fan of Mr. Taylor too!

[lee von cleef]

Are facts just a calculation of probability ? The truth keeps on coming after every stumble.
Complacency can git you killed.Boy you sure make me ponder.
Smile Cleef

[Patricia B. Hepler]

Yes.

[Kristallo]

I really enjoyed this, very well written with a wise message. Thank you for sharing.

[Ama May Cooper]

It always hard to work out what we really need, and even harder to disguish what we want from the equation, and after all everything good comes to an end. What a feep and thoughtful poem, i love the idea of this supreme being giving choice ... its a little dark at the end , the regret that your protagonist talks about woven like tapestry between your words. The story is told with clear adn understandle clarity.. it is a gripping and emotional tale throughout.
A very insistant lesson indeed.

[Eve]

here here! packed full of all the good wisdom borne of age and living life in the now, well done!