Right or Wrong

By Catherine McGeehan

Growing up is hard.

You are faced with a multiplicity of perplexing choices

leaving you ambivalent of the virtuous one.

Uncertainty can come from deciding between

doing the wrong thing for the right reason and

doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

Whether it’s pretending you forgot your friend's birthday

to make their surprise party even better,

slipping your struggling friend the answer on a test

although you are aware it’s cheating, or

stealing money to feed your family,

you are forced to make a decision,

completely unsure of if it’s truly right.

You could ask someone how their day was,

not because you care, but because you want them to ask about yours,

donate money to a good cause,

but only create a good reputation,

or volunteer for Key Club,

but only because you have to if you want to stay a part of it.

Maybe I’m just saying this to make myself feel better

about making mistakes in my decisions,

but I have found, and strongly believe,

you’re only verily wrong

when you’re doing the wrong thing

for the wrong reasons.