Warmed by the affirmation of strangers,
Lured by the promise of praise,
Blithely unconcerned for the dangers,
The stakes he continued to raise.

Here he found a quip that is witty,
There he spotted an essay well done.
And there was that poem so pretty -
As long as they believed him the one.

A genuine talent he mis-used,
To cover his perfidy as he lied.
The trust of his fellows he abused
As they enjoy the words he supplied.

Their approval fed his ego’s need,
Appraisal and judgment gave praise.
All the while denying the writer’s creed
While setting his honor ablaze.

But being revealed crushed his casual game
Bringing humiliation and stinging invective
Never again will he view his actions the same
As a revelation it was quite effective.

A pariah deserving of all he received
He humbly bowed before his peers
Before those who had previously believed
And those to whom his failure brought cheers.

To begin anew is no easy chore
But there is value in standing upright
Many former friends will trust him no more
And several will itch for a fight.

But if he would look himself in the eye
He must do the right thing at last.
No matter the cost he must honestly try
To leave his sins in the past.

Words are weapons, treasures and tools
And their use can be for goodness or woe.
But only if he consistently follows the rules
Will their trust in him get the chance to grow.