All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
Why Must I?
Year after year,
More perishes my purity,
More I mutilate my maturity,
More I make myself mere misery.
Once and again, I’ll give gore for glory,
Think and talk like life’s a tedious task,
But why must I? is what I always ask.
Why must I,
Equate exhaustion and ecstasy,
Isolation and intelligence,
Work with worries,
Success and solitude and I’m sorry?
Someone tell,
Is my time only and truly to triumph?
And does declining demand dying?
Does loving lead to lying,
And rising to wrecking what’s right?
Must there be ashes to make light?
Ah, I accept affliction alone!
It’s a painful passion that possesses me,
Yet, forever, I favour not flee.
But rest to relish—
This monster’s haunting hiss.
It seems I’ve been bitten by a beast—
And the anguish is electrifying!
It seems I’ve been captured by ambition—
And the pain is so gratifying.
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.
This piece was based on the sour-sweetness of ambition and perfectionism, both of which are near impossible to escape once they have demonstrated their advantages; achievement and praise keep you hooked to the painful, sometimes irrational diligence and self-standards that accompany these two seemingly admirable human traits. But they most probably would lose their grip on you if you were to ask yourself Why? Why do I place so much importance on something of so little leverage? Why do I judge myself for the grades I get, for what I say, for my mistakes and not for who I am?