Temptations

There’s a devil on my shoulder,
An angel on the other,
Both whispering in my ear,
Trying to help my decisions.

“Do not lie,” says ones.
“Exploit loopholes, they are being irrational,” advises the other.

“Take your freedom,” tempts one.
“Follow the rules, they will keep you safe,” chides the other.

It’s a story of temptations,
Given in to and avoided,

Of fights and tears and irrational rules,
Of safety nets and teenage whims,
Of cultural clashes,
And the devil and angel fighting to win,
Both tempting,
A fun life or a safe one,
Burning in hell or the vague promise of heaven.

Torn between the two,
After a fight,
I close my ears to the angel and take the light,
The minty tobacco burns going down,
There’s never a second time.

Torn between the two,
I skip the party to read,
The examination papers return,
I scored the same as last time.

Torn between the two,
I follow the rules.

Torn between the two,
I break them and lie.

Sometimes the rules leave me behind,
The rush f freedom making up for the pain ahead.

Sometimes people leave me behind,
The rules too constraining for them.

The devil and the angel sit there,

Through sips of alcohol,

Through acts of charity,

Through banned books,
Through late study marathons,

Through Netflix and chill,
Through honest confessions,
And the gruesome lies.

Today I realise,
Their words are often exchanged,
What is good in one instance,
Is bad in a moment’s glance.

They are both temptations,
Each promising a different reward,
Neither mentioning the punihsment.