"Don’t Lower Your Standards" - Bahamas AI Art
©A. Derek Catalano
This poem is a powerful reminder to hold firm to your values, dreams, and self-worth, regardless of external pressures.
Don’t Lower Your Standards
Don’t lower your standards for fleeting applause,
For whispers of praise wrapped in counterfeit cause.
The world will entice with its glitter and gold,
But treasures untested will tarnish when sold.
Stand firm in your values, let dignity shine,
Your worth isn't measured by trend or design.
The hollow approval of those who deceive,
Is fleeting as echoes the moment they leave.
They’ll tell you to bend, to shrink or conform,
To soften your fire, to weather their storm.
But storms teach resilience, and tempests reveal,
The strength of convictions that time cannot steal.
Would you trade your wisdom for momentary gain?
Compromise honor to lessen your pain?
A shortcut, a bargain, a step out of line—
Is the path of the desperate, not the divine.
The stars do not lower to meet earth’s embrace,
They shine from afar with celestial grace.
So why should you stumble, diminish your light,
For comfort that crumbles in absence of sight?
Let love be a bond, but not at a price
Where silence is taken as weakness, not vice.
A love that demands that you quiet your soul,
Isn’t a love, but a chain taking toll.
Friendships that flourish on mutual respect,
Are those that endure, that time won’t neglect.
But those who demand you to lessen your worth,
Are not worth the anguish, the strain, or the dearth.
Dreams, like a fire, must fiercely be fed,
By passion, by purpose, by forging ahead.
A dream compromised is a dream left to die,
A shadow of promise that flickers, then lies.
Your standards are pillars, not shackles or chains,
They’re guides through the chaos, through losses and gains.
Hold them with pride, let them carve out your way,
And those meant to walk it will choose not to stray.
So stand unrelenting, let patience be key,
For all that you wish for, in time, you will see.
Not all will admire, nor all understand—
But those who are worthy will meet your demand.
For better to wait with integrity whole,
Than barter your essence and fracture your soul.
©A. Derek Catalano/ChatGPT
