Prompt-Perfection by Shishir Lakhani

Prompt – Perfection

 

As a child I always felt stared down upon.

To be the best was the unwritten law.

My brother and I, and my cousins … all in a race to nowhere

 

So breathless was I ….that the air spiked my lungs

I was like a cork stubborn and tight

Like a wasp zigzagging and bumping against things 

… Chasing goals, improving and excellence meant everything

 

Only he…

Who has never failed to reach perfection ….has the right to a critic

 If you look for perfection, you will never be content – so said Tolstoy

 

Today the sky is dark and grey …. Years have gone by

I have learnt so many lessons through hard knocks.

Lessons that I truly cherish and treasure 

 

Perfection follows the Law of diminishing returns

In my work life I learnt that ‘acceptable’ or ‘ideal’ is good enough

Perfection becomes a pipe dream  

….and should never be allowed to become the enemy of good 

 

Just as poetry contains so many stories depending on who is reading,

Perfection too …. Depends on the person… A relative definition

Moral or any form of perfection whether subjective or objective

….is impossible to attain.

 

I have learned not to correct people even when I suspect they may be wrong.

The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me.

For me, peace is more precious than perfection

 

Shishir Lakhani