Persuit

by Cheryl Merrick

In an ever constricting world,
    driven by obsessive selfishness,
some work long hours for riches,
   while others desperately pursue prestige.

Ever hungering for happiness,
    they acquire more and more,
but numb by their excessiveness,
    they feel less and less.


Drawn on by the promise
     of happiness in having,
shopping provides activity
     to an otherwise empty life.

Busily they rush to amass
     more possession than others,
adding shelves and sheds for storage,
    and spending enormous amounts
to protect their hoard.

Til finally, surrounded by their possessions,
     and staggering under the crushing weight of debt,
they huddle alone in a world growing ever smaller,
     illuminated only by the flickering light of self.