[His Failures]

His failures-could he blame them on time? He

hadn't been ready when the lucky chance arrived.

Or if not time, then perhaps the fault was how he

reacted to time's upheavals-those surprises that

seemed to come from nowhere. And often at the

moment of success, the success was less than

expected, smaller than deserved. So weren't his

defeats the result of high expectations? He had

worked hard, but the outcome wasn't what he

hoped. Indeed, it was unfair. But who could say

what was fair and what wasn't? Hubris, arrogance,

self-love: wasn't it pride that said what he should

have? What he had to have? Those setbacks-

weren't they the result of an inner voice that said he

deserved better, a voice that sang to him, soothed

him and had never told the truth?