My Faults
By John Herlihy

I am what I am partly because of my faults,
Being always good feels like summersaults.
My weaknesses I turn to enduring strengths,
To become a better person, I go to great lengths.
My students sometimes put me on a pedestal,
Some of them think I am less than exceptional.
As a child, I was known to have a stutter,
I met the challenge so that I no longer mutter.
Whenever unhappy, I never show any emotion,
Off on my own, I absorb my feelings with devotion.
When roused against others, I try to get even,
I finally had to give up my best friend Stephen.
My faults are always there with me, mine to keep,
Not to be another person, only myself to seek.