Poem: Temptation

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“Lead us not into temptation” saith the Law;
And therein lies the proof of mankind’s greatest flaw.
Both greed and power feed on it to gain ascent;
Evil would not exist if not temptation-bent.

It seems that everything comes down to this, by choice.
“Do I or not”, is often the unspoken voice.
And oftentimes you drift into it without thought,
But still you have to make the choice—Stay in or not.

It seems that abstinence and piety are paired;
In many ways in many sects, the concept shared.
Temptation, then, is recognized, and justly so—
But how you view it may be questionable though.

Temptation does not lurk; it openly will taunt.
It plays the “Why not?” game with things you’re known to want.
It’s easy to give in—we’ve all been there, done that.
But once you do, you’re stuck—that is a given stat.

If there’s a trick to this, to beat its siren song,
It’s in your self-esteem, knowing right from wrong,
Not giving in to “Just this once”—like times before;
Like here and now, on this, you’re tempted to ignore.

© Richard Williams

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