Self awareness

One devastating drawback of intelligence 

is self awareness of our own inadequacies.

Unless we make world champion in this or that

or grab some fame for something praiseworthy,

we'll sometimes be confronted by the queasy feeling

of not being quite as great as we would like to be.

Physical appearance often gives concern

and different people deal with it in different ways.

Women can use make-up, beauty treatment, clothes

but my heart bleeds for those doomed ugly all their days.

Men can use their skill at sport to boost their ego

or manufacture macho sporting their tatoos.

Wealth and power don't fear inferiority

though insecurity may haunt what they might lose.

As for the young of either sex there's time enough

for optimistic hope to rectify their woes

and always possible partners helping overcome

or overlook their problems as time goes.

But it's the old where self-awareness strikes the hardest,

when failing powers can't help but tell that all's not well.

Then weaknesses must be acknowledged gracefully

but after all that time  -  so what the hell  !