Reflection
Sometimes We Get What We Deserve
In quiet shadows where the secrets hide,
Beyond the vanity and selfish pride,
A silver ledger keeps a silent score
Of every step we take across the floor.
We plant the seeds within the morning light,
And wait to see what blossoms in the night,
For in the soil of the choices made,
The truth will bloom when superficial visions fade.
The arrogant may walk a gilded street,
And wear the crown of cold and calculated deceit,
Believing justice is a myth of old,
A fairy tale by weary dreamers told.
They build their castles out of hollow lies,
Unheeding to the broken traveler's cries,
Yet stone by stone, the structural design
Will bow before the gravity of time.
For every promise broken in the dark,
For every strike that leaves a hidden mark,
The world records the cadence of the deed,
And harvests grain according to the seed.
There is no shield of gold or fortress wall
To guard the tyrant from their sudden fall;
When scales balance and the shadows align,
The bitter cup is poured by fate's design.
Yet justice is not merely sharp or cold,
Nor is it just a vengeance to behold.
For those who wander through the winter storm,
And keep the hearth of human kindness warm,
Who offer comfort when the night is long,
And answer cruelty with a gentle song—
They too shall find their harvest in the end,
And walk the road alongside a faithful friend.
The gentle hand that heals another’s pain
Will feel the cooling midsummer rain;
The honest heart that stands against the tide
Shall find a peace where quiet truths reside.
No virtue passes like a fleeting breath;
No act of love is conquered by a death;
The grace we offer in our darkest hour
Returns to bloom in unexpected flower.
So let the wheels of retribution turn,
And let the fires of ultimate justice burn.
The proud will stumble on the path they paved,
While humble souls from ruin shall be saved.
No trick of tongue can alter what is true,
The world reflects the work we choose to do.
In light or dark, whatever road we cleave,
Sometimes we get exactly what we deserve.
©A. Derek Catalano/Gemini
