Saturday, February 1, 2025

Weigh the Balance

 
Scales of right and wrong on beach.

"Weigh the Balance" - Bahamas AI Art
 ©A. Derek Catalano
 
 
This poem underscores the weight of moral choices, the consequences of wrongdoing, and the enduring value of integrity.
 
 

Weigh the Balance

Upon life’s scale, a choice must lie,
A path of truth or web of lie.
A fleeting gain, a hollow prize,
Or honor bright in honest eyes.

The whispers call, the shadows creep,
Temptation stirs in caverns deep.
A shortcut paved with tarnished gold,
A deed once done, a soul once sold.

A moment’s thrill, a grasp for more,
Yet chains await behind that door.
A job undone, a name disgraced,
A future burned, a past erased.

To cheat, to steal, to twist what’s true—
Does fleeting pleasure stay with you?
Does wealth amassed by hand unjust
Not turn to dust, betray your trust?

What worth is gold behind a gate,
When prison bars replace your fate?
What joy remains in stolen gain,
When conscience brands the soul with stain?

A name once pure, now marred and torn,
A life once bright, left wrecked and worn.
A step too far, a line now crossed,
The weight of sin, the cost too lost.

But lo, the path of light still stands,
With steady heart and honest hands.
No chains to bind, no shame to bear,
But peace that lingers in the air.

To walk with truth, to stand upright,
To choose what’s just, embrace the right.
For what is wealth, if built on lies?
And what is power, if honor dies?

The scale tilts fair for those who see,
That right prevails, that wrong won’t free.
No fleeting prize, nor stolen grace,
Can shine as bright as virtue’s face.

So weigh the balance, stand and choose,
For life’s a path that none must lose.
No gain is worth a soul undone,
No night outshines the rising sun.

Walk forth with courage, wisdom’s light,
And choose the way that leads to right.
For in the end, when days are few,
Your choices tell the tale of you.

 
©A. Derek Catalano/ChatGPT
 
Related poem: Live by the Rules
Related article: Just Say No and Mean It
Related article: Good and Bad Leadership and Governance