Superman

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something. - Thoreau

When you get right down to it, I'm a coward.

A weakling.

An empty idealist.

A wrinkled, stuffed shirt.

I struggle with faith.

Not knowing how to battle.

I doubt.

Unable to walk or fly.

Afraid of my own shadow.

It's like I got off the bus at the wrong stop.

In a bad neighborhood.

Courage passed me by a long time ago because I didn't have the exact change.

I don't even know who I am.

Let alone who I'm supposed to be.

Distrust boarded when dysfunction found a seat.

I carry a pass but alas, can never quite find it.

I guess great losing is the best winning I'll ever garner.

I'm good at feeling and crying.

And thoughts of dying.

Real power is when we have justification for revenge and do not demand it.

Leaving it to fend for itself in Hell's pit.

I wish I was Superman.

Always able to fight for what is right.

Avoiding life's kryptonite ...

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

This is really good...i am often told I am a strong person, One to lean on, but inside i feel very scared and unsure of myself, constantly...we lead by example and i often worry my example is not so good.
And I like your analogy of getting off the bus in the wrong neighborhood..i have accidentally ended up in some bad neighborhoods...pretty scary.
as is the reflection i often see in the mirror.
damn i relate to this one, maybe more than i want to.
j.

[Pete]

it is not easy to face our own weaknesses and shortcomings but real strength is when we have the courage to admit and confront them head on. we are uniquely imperfect. i take comfort that there is a purpose and reason for everything under the sun. we each have different strenghs. Heaven rejoices either way. what did shakespeare say, "to thine own self be true" ... :)

[Ruth]

Brilliant piece. Faith is a vulnerable jewel to hold tightly and close, not always easy to walk with faith in your pocket so to speak. I really like the fragility of this piece Pete, honest and real :)

[Pete]

we're all not so different. even he had lois lane and hid who he really was in phone booths ... :)

[Light and ashes]

This is great. I enjoyed reading it so much.
There are some really great lines and points. Even Superman has kryptonite..every person has a weakness..
for me, often times, I feel like I stepped off the bus and got hit by a train..
lol

[Pete]

ouch. make sure you look both ways allie. who knows, you could be wonder woman ... :)

[Light and ashes]

Lol :) you're very nice.
I appreciate that.
I would love to be able to call on those powers in my time of need.

[emmajoy]

Takes guts to admit to the world how vunerable you feel. But even more, to accept those same facts the Self, makes one a true Superman. Admitting as much of the whole of Self is as honest and heroic as weeping in public, which men of a certain type or types proudly say, 'It's not manly, it's not what real men do.' What - polite word: TOSH! Whether this poem be how you feel right now or is a combo of emotions you're trying to sort, is truly worthy or a billion reviews, Pete.

Once read something like this: A father tole his son that coming last in the mile run and being able to stand and smile at having succeeded what his small frame should not have, shown more courage and dignity than the reaction of the winner who thrust his fist into the air then swaggered away. Our daddy told us all that when we were young.. but especially to his two sons. Doubt any of us forgot.. ..

[Pete]

Tosh indeed. foolish, foolish world. you speak words to live by. when we look in mirror, is only one person looking back. how do we run the race? is not about the winning but the good fight. thanks so much for sharing precious thoughts on the matter ... :)

[emmajoy]

I meant them with absolute honesty but in a way, understanding more than you think. Theroux would applaud you..

[Chris Shaw]

Facing your own flaws and doing so takes courage. I really like this poem Pete. It takes great honesty to do that, yet alone tell everyone about it. Full marks for this write. Only a superman could do that.

Chris

[Pete]

thanks chris. now all i need is the cape and tights ... :)

[John the Baptist]

Sounds like it was written in a down moment: "I don't even know who I am/ Let alone who I'm supposed to be." Self judgments can be especially harsh, and this offering is full of them. I don't believe there are any supermen. Now that I think of it, the guy who played Superman on TV back in the 50's ended up blowing his brains out.

[Pete]

ouch, i didn't know that. maybe that's why we all need a lois lane ... :)

[John the Baptist]

His name was George Reeves, and his other claim to fame was that he spoke the first lines in "Gone With the Wind."

[Beccy]

The first verse is extremely telling, for it precisely charts, that how we face up in reality, is often entirely different to how we imagine we will act.

For me though, such behaviour is not cowardice as such, more a manifestation of the reasoning nature of our species. A wolf will strike without remorse, instinct the ever driving force; whereas we will almost always think things through and even righteous revenge will most often elude us.

Yet paradoxically, despite we might avoid when we can, something as relatively minor as a verbal skirmish with a neighbour; there are those who kill for thrill far more than even the most predatory of animals. The genocidal murder of untold millions,being what springs immediately to mind; whilst those with the real power, mostly stand aside and watch.

I found this quite a complex poem, parts I fully agreed with, parts I did not; but then, that is because of the power of reasoning, which in the end, if far more of a weapon than any superhero might possess. :))

Beccy.

[Pete]

yes. the back and forth of reasoning, instinct vs. rationality. i try to exhibit strength through principle. not an easy battle - flesh vs. faith.
thank you for such thoughtful review beccy ... :)

[MOON]

Man in the mirror kind of stuff. Life makes corwards of most of us , this indeed a testing one.. Lovely write.

[Pete]

so we hide who we really are. life can be cruel. there are different types on strength and ways to fight. thank you ... :)

[Dave Brown]

wishin ain't a-gettin but if you do manage to pull it off, I would appreciate a bit thrown in my general direction

[Pete]

lol. i'll check if amazon has any listed and have some delivered to both of us. if not, the airfare is cheap right now to the planet krypton ... :)