A Slave to My Ambition

I am a member of a cult,
A follower of a sect,
An acolyte of a religion many call crazy
I hate participating in this cult,
For it requires me to abandon my instincts,
To push my body to the point of breaking,
To give everything I have,
Not receiving even my own sweat as a reward
But I know not how to survive in its absence,
I am an addict to this time consuming drug,
A drug I devote two hours a day,
One hour once a week before even the sun rises,
And Saturdays as a form of celebration.
Worship makes my body sore,
And leaves it smelling of chemicals.
I am a drill, buried six feet under
Knowing no up nor no down,
Knowing only that persistence will be my savior,
And only time will present me with a blessing,
I thrive off of the meager rush of obtaining this rarity,
Because most of the time this parasite of a belief
Drains every ounce of energy from my callused being.
There are few days a year,
When my faith is tested,
When the loyal will be blessed,
And traitors will be cast aside like a lousy apology.
I am left constantly questioning my sanity
Rarely remaining in a state of happiness,
But never backing out, or giving up.
As member of this asinine group,
I am required to sacrifice much of
My time, My hobbies
My work, My life
I am a dutiful slave to my ambition,
My master is consistent and brutal,
And keeps me chained to my commitments.
But I do not serve alone,
There are many others like me-
Lacking better judgment,
Functioning on pure devotion alone,
Using their bodies as a tool to grow closer to their faith.
I know them as brothers and sisters,
We are a family surviving together in the confines of this cult,
You know us as athletes,
And our religion as swimming.