Vice
and Virtue
By Cameron
Raps
Avarice
In
shadow stashed and hid from all the world,
I
keep my treasure pile, my feast of gold.
I
earned it; ‘Tis my right for all my work,
And
thieves do roundabout my hovel lurk.
My
library is filled with books uncut,
And
I walk through the town in lofty strut.
Yet
I have found that cave to be quite cold
Since
none but I can share in all my gold.
Charity
Imparting
all by obligation’s throw
I
stand above the hungry crowd below,
And
drop my coins into the gnashing maws
That
in my place would swallow even laws.
They’d
tear asunder all, for all I know,
And
yet I see some good in those below,
For
I could never walk an idle course
By
crying children and not feel remorse.
Sloth
I
lie in fallow fields to pass the time,
Letting
all the crows upon me dine.
I
move as water moves through valleys deep,
Where
glaciers have already earned their keep,
For
only fools go blazing trails alone,
While
I, the wiser, wait until they’re done.
My
only inconvenience is the wait,
But
I care not to try and skew my fate.
Diligence
Toil
oft and toil out of sight,
Work
from dawn to dusk, all day and night.
Hammer,
anvil, coulter, shovel, axe;
My
only friends, for I cannot relax.
I
must complete my project in this life,
And
I will see it done through blood and strife.
Diversion
shall not touch me while I stand
To
chase and drive the ravens from my land.
Lust
Indulge
the senses, heed each wicked urge.
Let
all your passion unabated surge.
I
seek no more than all debauchery,
And
fighting it is only misery.
Just
taste it once and you will wonder why
You
ever in this life would dare deny
That
you are just as weak a hypocrite
As
all who hide the fires they have lit.
Chastity
The
least important part of mortal life
Is
seeking after that which causes strife,
Which
is to trap the spirit in a coil
That’s
prone to fail and weep and sin and toil.
No
no, this cannot be, for we must bridle
Every
single passion sitting idle,
For
temporal desires only prove
To
cloud the end to which all things should move.
Gluttony
A
feast was laid before a royal court,
Who
feasted heartily, as fit the sort
Who
have so much they cannot eat it all,
But
try they might, and trying always fall
Into
the pit of swine that grunt and squeal
And
live for nothing but tomorrow’s meal.
A
shorter, more delicious life is theirs,
So
free of all life’s joys and all life’s cares.
Temperance
Starvation
plagues the layman and the fool
Who
fails to conquer Self and o’er it rule,
For
seeking food in times of famine dry
Brings
thinning hands to supplicate the sky,
And
all the while, no rain upon it falls.
We
close our ears to mother nature’s calls,
Which
ask for nothing more than carefulness
When
much is given, for soon there will be less.
Envy
The
verdigris that graces every cheek
Can
poison all the humble and the meek.
The
mouths that feed the ghoul are wanton eyes
That
swallow truth and grind it into lies.
Lifetimes
ruined, enjoyment disavowed
As
one offended by them speaks aloud,
For
jealous hearts can never bear to see
Others
enjoy what for them could not be
Gratitude
Each
day that shines with pure elation fair
Within
a sea of normal days is rare.
Oft
times we tempt ourselves to cope and tread
With
promises of fairer days ahead.
Quite
valueless these unfair days may seem,
For
nothing happened worthy of esteem,
But
even the most mediocre day
Is
preferable to darkness and decay.
Wrath
Thunderous
and furious, the storm
Tears
into the mountain’s steadfast form.
Rain
and hail bring boulders to the ground.
While
lightning cackles, only fears abound,
For
no one takes reward, not even the cloud,
Its
life so short, its voice so very loud.
Pity
be to all that cradle anger;
Unto
the Self it poses greatest danger.
Patience
All
the fields await the warmer suns,
But
some among the blooms are eager ones,
Their
zeal in growth led us to call it spring
When
all the buds that waited rise and sing,
But
those that bloom too early plucked be,
While
later flowers, unnoticed, go free.
Of
all the time that I anticipate,
The
final stretch is where I shape my fate.
Pride
Stand
tall and none shall reach you, mighty tree.
To
live above the clouds is to be free,
Or
so the lofty tree top boldly thought
Until
its starving roots began to rot.
It
grew so tall and reached so very high,
Advancing
toward the heavens, toward the sky,
Until
its roots could cling no more below,
And
timberfall became its overthrow.
Humility
Some
heads might only bow when bludgeoned oft,
But
others gladly bow to promptings soft,
For
they learn wisdom earlier than most;
That
happier are souls that never boast.
The
quick, the proud, the mighty have their share,
But
with the world is tied all worldly care.
The
mouse that grovels low is seldom heard,
While
archers aim to kill the singing bird.
