Exchanging Masters

/ Just Barry
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Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

Exchanging Masters

Fueled by misery,
Sloth rose, slovenly
grunting barely a half-laugh
with minimal effort,

easily overthrowing
Lust and Greed’s slipping,
thirsting, ravenous,
needy rule,

observed passively,
inexplicably so, by Wrath,
whose fiery talents
faded into the shade of
obsolescence and age,

creating a clear path
to the buffet
for Gluttony to feed,

leaving nothing nourishing
for Pride, who died while
withering away on the vine,

once green with Envy,
now ashen and drained.

Once upon a time,
you guys were so much fun
to attach myself;
to affix my banner upon;

now my attachments are
afflictions of fleeting spells,
seemingly over before
they’d even begun.

Ah great.
See what you’ve done?

Now I’m even fatter than before.

Fatter than I’ve ever been.

I surmise
we’d never have arrived here
if Pride were still alive.

In case it’s quite unclear,
I liked us much better
back when Lust and Greed
were allowed to steer.

Hell naw I don’t want any more
fried chicken and beer.
It’s wrong of you to ask!

Of course I want some more
fried chicken and beer!
Why ask this of me when
you already know the answer?

I just sat down, so
if you could bring them here,
that would be easier
for our new masters.

Pay attention!
Did you even notice
the stream changing course?

Or how labored
your breathing has become?

Or how indifference
feels heavier than struggle?

Daylight won’t wait for you
to caress her anew.

Idleness is its own endgame.

Time is a river,
eroding monuments of attachments,
revealing the true nature of suffering.

If we’re not mindful,
we won’t mind
or scarcely notice to find

that we’re all being worn away
under new management.
***

This poem was inspired by dVerse Poetics: 7 and 7 prompt, which as you probably guessed, is a meditation on the seven deadly sins. Other poets have contributed to this prompt here.

I could’ve gone deeply personal with this one, but confessional poetry is pretty much my whole “thing”, so I decided to zig instead of zagging by keeping things a bit more abstract.

Two poems in two days? Am I back? Nah. Not yet. But I’m starting to find my bearings again. Thanks for being patient with me.

16 thoughts on “Exchanging Masters”

    • Thanks, trE. My ex-wife could really belt this version back when she was just my ex-girlfriend.

      (I just peeked at your blog… looks like I have lots of fun reading to look forward to! I’m giddy.) 🙂

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      • Well now, I would commend her. That’s a beautiful song and Will has the perfect voice for it.

        Oh, yeah. Lol. Have fun. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy what you read. *big hugs*

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  5. Yes, aren’t we being moved from one master to another? I admire the sins as characters and can imagine them fatter with greed and needs than before. Thanks for sharing Barry! Hope you arre well!!

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  6. Yeah, glitzy and new is not always a good thing. These lines stood out for me:
    “Or how indifference
    feels heavier than struggle?”
    I can’t imagine nor would I want to feel the weight of one who spent his life in that tower, now about to come crashing down. We all must share the burden at some point, whether we are willing to or not is up to us.

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  8. Lovely subtle rhymes and rhythm make this internal dialogue flow smoothly and inevitably to your river of time at the conclusion, every stanza is a blistering treat of snap and drumbeat.
    “leaving nothing nourishing for pride who died” is just one really engaging example. Well done. I like the geology lesson at the end too. Thanks you.

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