Short-cuts

At the end of an incredibly busy day

When all my energy had been sapped away

I was still left with a gigantic mound

Of work to complete, I looked around

To see if any help I could harness

I found none, and  I confess

That vanquished by exhaustion 

To winds I threw all caution

And proceeded to take the route I had thought

I never would- I had decided to not resort

To cutting corners even in a time crunch

Yet that day, maybe because of missed lunch

I caved in to the temptation strong

Rationalizing that it was not wrong

To take short-cuts once in a while

Soon I was done, and I left with a smile..

**

The easier path is a slope slippery

Once lured, it was difficult to break free

From the temptation to take short-cuts which became

Shorter each time- my conscience at times tried to blame

Me for the increasingly sloppier quality of my work

I ignored its voice, nagging was one of its quirks

**

It is true that more time on hands I did find

By finishing work faster , it relaxed my mind

Therefore my moral compass remained dormant

Though the fear of missing something important did torment

Me from time to time, until one day the inevitable happened

Due to my carelessness, I could not pretend

That the cause was something else, because I knew

I had been getting away with mistakes, it’s true

This time the blunder could have been ugly

It was caught in the nick of time luckily..

Needless to say, I rediscovered my moral compass

I went back to being very meticulous..

*

I have understood  that cutting corners for short-term gain

Is only fraught with eventual misery and pain!

(Image source: http://www.seabird-marine.com)