Reality's Penalty

The price of overconfidence.

In nineteen ten a few good men
decided time was right,
to build the greatest ship of all
and sail it in the night.

Titanic then, saw many men
work hard from keel to mast.
The largest moving structure built
sailed off but would not last.

It was the age of confidence
but confidence soon saw,
the coldness of reality
uphold a basic law.

Construct the walls and act as though
the walls can never fail.
Put hubris up upon the wall,
breathe out but don’t inhale.

Pretend the dangers are inert,
be bold upon the sea.
Ignore the policy of care
and that will set you free.

The walls were high beneath a sky
for a vessel of renown.
Reality enforced the law.
And the walls came tumbling down.


24 Lines
12-7-12

Writer's Cramp Entry:
Requirement: "And the walls came tumbling down."

On April 15, 1912, despite repeated warnings, the RMS Titanic raced at full speed
through an ice field in the north Atlantic. It inevitably stuck an iceberg, and sank.