It’s a virtue that everyone sees as really worth praising
The valiant efforts put forth as the reason for succeeding
All can certainly see its value and it’s why they put heart
Especially when the outcome can be compared to an art
But what happens if it seems to fail to deliver?
When what you thought simply falls short of the result it can muster?
Doubts start to gather and you ask what was missed or went wrong
Knowing deep inside that the motive was sincere and the drive was strong
Is the end result really what tells whether or not it was truly tough?
Many will say so even adding that maybe it was mere bluff
It’s so quick to put blame when one decides to withdraw from it all
Not even thinking what happened in between or what took its toll
Times simply change and with it, this alone may be obsolete
Which is why what’s expected may come incomplete
Tis not to say that the virtue itself no longer has any value
It just needs to be joined by newer methods and begin anew
Recalling those times when it succeeded in what could seem small
A point to remember that by such fact it can make one stand tall
It can still pay off but maybe not in the way that might be expected
What’s unforeseen could be friend or foe it’s worth being noted
Alone it may not last and it should not be ignored
Passion, cleverness and many others can help make a mightier cord
Constant turmoils need more than one virtue as times get rough
Evidently shown when hard work itself is just not enough.

It’s quite a common practice as many can testify
To be compared to our fellow no one can ever deny
Passed from one another either subconsciously or intentionally
It ought to bring out the best that a person is expected to be
They say it’s the driving force and it’s only for a good motive
And against every other person we have to be competitive
But what of the side effects of the act that are usually overlooked?
Within one’s self doubts, anxieties, and negativity end up getting hooked
Some overcome it although the inner scars will always show
And to others, it even takes a longer time to recover from its blow
Making ones light dim by the one who should be beholding
As hard as the butterfly that can’t even see the beauty of its wings
Being led to success is said to justify the act itself
But what of those who fall short and end up in oblivion's shelf?
With uncertainty eating away their own self worth
Indeed, it would seem miraculous if their confidence gets a rebirth
Tis not to say that the act no longer has any good to offer
It just needs to be aimed at something else to be seen clearer
No one else but to who or what someone was in their past
An almost surefire way to make the appreciation of it last
Realizing that one’s past shelf should be that which we must rise against
The right fuel in which the fire of betterment should be incensed
Remembering that like the sun and the moon shine according to their time
Refusing to yield to certain pressures isn’t always a crime
For each one there will always be that appointed moment
Which one sees their visions fulfilled like an act of bestowment
It may not be at the point on which it’s expected
The coming will always end up as something commemorated
Such thought is a reminder of the ever present good intention
When one finally knows how to best use comparison as motivation.

It will never be easy as some people would say
To see the black and white but still think in gray
Admitting that the extreme end of one side isn’t always the way to go
Unless the lack of redeeming qualities simply make it so
Especially in matters left to one’s personal choice
It calls for the need to look at those of different perspectives and voice

Changes around us require both firmness and flexibility
To get with the times that abounds in ambiguity
In an atmosphere that show a scarcity of pleasance
It would help if in our eyes there is balance
Facing the fact that flaws and fine points can actually coexist
That understanding is the aid for ones inner peace to persist

Tolerance for differences must be present as a form of diplomacy
Though decency must still take root and defend ones boundary
Respecting choices for the sake of peace is truly a noble aspiration
But not before the light and shadow have gone through careful separation
Acceptance and rejection can be balanced though challenging it may sound
An equal and balanced blend of both needed to pave a road in walking the middle ground.

‘Twas during inner turmoil that a certain yearning arose
Whispers of breakage reaching deeper as time goes
From the disillusionment of reality it was forged
Of seething rage the desires hunger gorged
In following certain conformities felt like being a prisoner
The will to resist the motions of many being aimed to muster
To not be like a tree that has to be cut or uprooted just to move
To be driven by reasons that to only ones viewpoint can behoove

Looking at another view of the coming uncertainty
As a pathway to many possibilities with regards to unpredictability
That stopping a tragedy is sometimes not the thing to do
Lest one forgets that the phoenix must burn down to rise anew
Or that Ragnarok is followed by a great rebirth
Who can know what revelations a raging flood might unearth?
Being lost might as well be the way to find an elusive longing
The remedy to the Anhedonia closely and ominously looming

When being chained to the rhythm just compares to an inner futile feeling
Knowing that a greater horizon is missed by the act of settling
A bet on the odds that epiphany might be found in whatever form
To behold serendipity actually being brought by the coming inner storm
In using the great idleness to plan the restoring of a balance
And to see clearly without the feeling of rushing pressure and turbulence
The path and pace may change to the deeper quest not yet ceased
In bringing forth the long sought betterment through a cataclysmic release.

An exchange of temptations that led to a hidden ordeal
On an act of carnal ecstasy made to seal a deal
The gamble to see if it’s worth lending a piece of the soul
While trembling inside for the choices that would soon take toll

The signs of deceit slowly surfaced but were shrugged despite suspicion
Until a hasty flight provoked inner unrest and affliction
Vivid memories of a previous torment come back haunting
Knowing full well the Succubus affinity for betraying

With logic and reason as both weapon and armor
Against an enemy not easily made for capture
Bargaining on a final bet that her grip be brought to nothing
To release the mind from seemingly rotting

The bargain commenced along with foreseen treason
The sought peace only a hollow victory in a silently echoing frustration
In total silence with a feeling that heavily burned
A mental wall built to signify the lesson learned

Screams of pain of the innards locked away in reticence
Occurring to just seemingly mock the brilliance
With great resolve brought by the treachery writhing in virulence
Came the vigilance of avoiding such penitence
And to never again taste the Succubus’ Sting in Silence