SELFISH (a poem)

I want to be Sylvia Plath, words
slipping from my mouth in hopeless
abandon, aware of the mania,
craving the solitude of my mind.

I want an emerald pool filled
with money, so that my fingertips
are stained jealous jade, my nose
inhaling the scent of luxury.

I want a house, hidden in pines
and forest, a bright springtime
racing across the lawn, flowers
in bloom, and the scent of spruce.

I want a diamond engagement ring,
and the boy who will give it to me,
his eyes a cool, calm green,
two eclipses of satisfying luck.

I want what I can’t have,
and that’s what makes me coil
with envy, a serpent slithering,
just a soul withering in the soil.

Somewhere in the United States (2016)

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AN EXPLANATION.

Hello, my dear readers. This poem was written for creative writing class in December 2018. The poem is meant to cut into the “big” aspects of life: power, money, success, love, and jealousy. I’m not exactly sure how I was inspired to write this one; it just came to me. Maybe I was in a particularly envious mood. Who knows. However, I think this poem can apply to everyone. Jealousy is not a pretty trait, and we must all work on finding our happiness through what we already have–rather than what we want.

I didn’t write this poem to complain about what I want; I wrote this poem to expose what I see are the things that drive our actions. We all desire success in some shape or form, and that can be problematic. It can affect our outlook on life, and for some it will make things unbearable in the long run.

Therefore, let’s learn to be selfless. Let’s not focus on I want I want I want. We are all blessed by things in our lives that others covet, and we all struggle with things greater than ourselves. Let’s learn to be compassionate and not wither away, because selfishness does that to us. It’s a blight on crops, and it’s a toxin in our veins. An emotional toxin, so to speak.

Don’t let your selfishness rot you dry.

All right, my beautiful readers. I hope you enjoyed reading this poem, but now I’m off to do more studying.

Until next time,

-K.