The sweet smell of success
wafted my way in past days,
awakened ambitions,
led me by the nose.

‘Follow me, follow me’, it called,
until there was no road left to tread;
it was time to look back and survey
the wreckage left of a life in disarray.

The sweet smell turned pungent,
the optimist became despondent,
openings, one by one, were shut,
life seemed to be stuck in a rut.

But somehow life continues
along other ordinary avenues;
where you find the kind of smell
which tells you, life can be swell.

So, make it your intention
to master your ambition.
Resist its wily seduction
and lead it by the nose.

Isam Hussain

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/sweet-smell-of-success/