Medals

All the shiny disks of gold
displayed as everlasting emblems
for hearts who excelled to greatness,
inspiring throngs to lusting after their possessions,
winners served a parade and speech.

He mulled over in his head
that ritual blurb seen on the ads
for, “Be All You Can Achieve,”
just one, a single honor
would be enough to last a lifetime,
ardently working on his offering
to earn that craved metallic esteem.

So proud when his labor
draped him in a ribbon
holding the object of his passions,
felt so right, so very good
because all his energy had been focused
on that one precious moment of glory.

But it faded in the night
left with a craving for more prizes,
too rushed to meet the deadline
and still have it be so perfect,
yet amazed he won again.

Over and over the act was repeated
until he found the judges
often napped during the competition,
never actually  check his entry,
discovering in shock
from watching those who left the honor’s ceremony
how everyone got the same medals
no matter what they did,
given a standard praise of “awesome”
which lost its worth in the hollow repetition.

The pain bore deep into his spirit
left unable to endure the reality,
he cast his last offering for the next challenge
off a cliff then leaped to join it,
sure it would still win
the award left on the stain he made on the ground
marked with the word, “awesome.”