The Prize Poem by Amy Serhienko

I want something;
a prize that quickens my pulse
and catches my breath
and overrides my reason
just by thinking of it.
And I can't have it
not morally,
or ethically,
or publicly.

But I want it anyway.

So I must choose:
do I claim my prize
and risk discovery and contempt?
Or do I walk away,
and be the honest, moral and upstanding citizen
I'd rather not be?

It's not far from the devil to the deep blue sea...