Broken joy

Comforted by pain you grind in turn
A blunt smile in fading light
Shame, a regret you'd wish they'd burn
But forgiveness is out of sight
Norms of the obvious level
You settle for that which is given
It's not laziness
Instead, you're quite driven
Faith has forced your goodness
To a point of shaken doubt
Still, armed with vital knowledge
To take your competitors out
Soothing words accompanied by shocking phrases
Pass on as compliments
But are they all deserving
To these unworthy opponents
Failure is not the goal
Nor tired is thy excuse
 But in this busy yet dreary world
 You need a friend in truth