Failure

Failure daunts most people. They try

to avoid it, dread to face the prospect

of sinking into the drowning abyss,

struggling to keep above water.

This feeling of defeat plagues perfectionists,

who desire a flawless façade, who flee

the shame of limitation, who strive

to appear successful in every endeavor.

Yet failure can be a teacher, instructing us

to go in a different direction, to search

for a new path, to develop a hidden talent,

a burgeoning gift ready to be opened.

To fail is to be human, to know ourselves

as creatures learning through experience,

to unearth the lessons meant for us 

to discover at the opportune time.