What occupies you at this Yuletide?
Selfishness, or greed or pride?
When occupied by “me“ and “mine“.
“I“ excludes others, every time.
But when I consider you and yours.
I see my life through other's doors.
I is lonely, me the same,
So exclusive, no share no gain!
Why are we troubled, driven by fear?
Is it self absorption we hold dear?
iPod, iPhone, iWatch and iPad.
The centre is me, that's truly sad.
It excludes you and us and friends.
No caring, hugging, no holding hands.
No meals together, candles or no.
You wanna' meet? Sorry, must go.
We are self absorbed and egoists,
Circled around me, a narcissist.
The jealousy the want and the greed.
...Dang'rous monsters you don't want to feed.
But how to cure what the mirror don't show?
There is an answer that I know.
If you give away what you hold dear
You will break it’s hold and conquer fear.
And now greed-free you’ll see a reflect,
A true self image with no defect.
And in serving you will repossess.
And free yourself of self obsess.
Carole Stolz © December 2021
(Word Count 184)
FCA
Narcissus was the theme for the WEP (Writing Editing Publishing) competition for December 2021
Thank you for reading my entry.
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This is great, Carole! Love the cadence and the message. "What the mirror doesn't show" is what it's all about, isn't it? Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jemi. Yes, seeing the truth in the mirror can be hard!
DeleteYour poem does a great job of illustrating the loneliness of a narcissist.
ReplyDeleteThe centre is me, that's truly sad.
It excludes you and us and friends.
Sad, indeed!
Thanks Debbie. Lonely indeed!
DeleteHi Carole - well done ... I guess a narcissist must feel lonely over time - wonderful poem and take on the prompt. All the best for this time of year - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThanks Hilary. Yep, I think that the occupation with self is part of the reason for the epidemic of depression and loneliness our societies are suffering. Of course home office and on-line schooling isn't helping! I wish you a totally NOT lonely Christmas season with people you love.
DeleteThis poem definitely reflects our society. We're so wrapped up in ourselves it can make us lose sight of what's most important. It's ironic that at a time when we're technically more connected with the rest of the world than ever, we're also more lonely than ever. People focus too much on the superficial and appearances rather than genuine connection, I think.
ReplyDeleteWell done!
Well done, Carole! A tell-all poetic truth!
ReplyDeleteThank you Michael.
DeleteThis is a sadly accurate mirror of too much of our society. How I hope that more of us can/do learn...
ReplyDeleteThank you. I hope that next year‘s themes stir up more positive reflections! But we really are a long way from loving our neighbours and the society we‘ve created actually encourages and rewards self-love and self absorption. But it is a personal decision to go along with the majority… or not to.
DeleteWe got to see our sons for the first time in two years this last week. OMG, what a wonderful thing - a hug! Society today, is lost, wanting, needing - materialism runs rampant. We've forgotten the important things. Great job, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Yolanda. So cool that the family was reunited.
DeleteYour poem definitely hit it right. I love the line: "iPod, iPhone, iWatch and iPad." They all start with the 'I', don't they? They all separate us from the rest of humanity instead of connecting us to it.
ReplyDeleteYes, that thought has been ruminating for a while now!
Delete'If you give away what you hold dear' - that's the crucial question isn't it? Very apt for the season and the prompt. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you. It‘s a habit which solves a lot of problems and an indicator of a heart condition!
DeleteThat poem sums it up nicely.
ReplyDeleteNancy
Thank you Nancy
DeleteThis poem is spot on! We are far too self-absorbed and this has been exacerbated by Covid. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you Michelle. Yes Covid seems to magnify the worst in us!
DeleteLove your tag-line.
ReplyDeleteHi Carole! You nailed this one in your poem. 'iPod, iPhone, iWatch and iPad.
ReplyDeleteThe centre is me, that's truly sad.' Goes so well with your tagline: 'Me, myself and I...' The song of the modern day.
Thanks Denise. Yes I hope it‘s not our Eulogy. Not very praiseworthy characteristics!!!
DeleteI'm an introvert rather than a narcissist. Mostly I like keeping to myself because I don't trust other people very much. Still, I acknowledge that sometimes I get lonely. I wonder if narcissists realize how lonely their lot is.
ReplyDeleteI don‘t think so as they are too wrapped up in themselves. Ooh, that would have been a good word play on the season!!!
Delete👏👏👏 Loved the poem!
ReplyDeleteThank you Bernadette
DeleteI loved how you wove the message of Christmas into your poem about Narcissists. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kalpana. I hope that you had a great Christmas, though the group is so International, that I‘m not sure who celebrates Christmas and who not. We did and it was lovely.
Delete