Literature
I Have Failed Many Times
I Have Failed Many Times
by p.b. wells
anyone who says they are not afraid of failure
is lying.
believe me,
they are lying.
no bullshit,
they are lying.
they dress it up in clean words,
post it on a wall,
sell it as a scent
called Confidence.
but the truth is uglier
and way more honest.
in “Southern Cross,” Jimmy Buffett says,
“Think about how many times I have fallen.”
and that line sits there
like a rum bottle on a table
that’s seen too many midnights,
too many promises,
too many damn near.
to me, however, fallen is too eloquent
a word for failure.
and I have failed many times.
some of it loud.
some of it quiet.
some of it with witnesses.
some of it with only the ceiling fan
watching me spin.
and I’m damn sure
I will fail many more times
in the future.
because what else is there
if you’re actually doing something?
people love to talk about courage.
they want a medal pinned
to their busted jacket.
they want to be the hero
in a story that never sweats.
but
