Perfection Is Overrated

A Poem

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

all these words you claim —
what do they mean in the larger universe?

you have the name, the money, the fame —
but what good has it done for you?

you lived your life on the coattails of perfection,
yet you can’t see the mess you’ve made in the dark.

you treat girls like your toys to throw out at will,
and your children won’t even say your name.

you think you have all the answers to the human crisis?
who made you a god in this realm of public opinion?

the ten-out-of-ten you aim for is a fallacy, a lie, a trick —
but everyone believes that you’re capable of miracles.

and even if you could attain that perfect life you seek —
what would it matter since you’d be all alone?

the men in your life claim you’re an ingenue, a genius —
but some of us still see the monster in your reflection.

maybe the world will end in fire or ice or just one mistake —
but I hope by then we won’t rely on the words of a man like you.