A Societal Plateau

Daniel Michaud

The next best thing to hit the streets That new gizmo, hairdo, or unmatched beat Will be the rage for about a week Then become forgotten and obsolete

And then we’ll move on to something else Perpetuating we have status and wealth By buying things to give us a sense of self Just place your emptiness next to that fad on the shelf

This vicious cyclone will spin and devour us whole Leaving everyone dizzy and doomed to repeat the show Until we have reached that societal plateau Where we’re unable to evolve, listen, and grow

The day will come soon when we’ve exhausted all the hoopla and trends But because we move so fast we won’t realize just when this begins Instead we’ll be multi-tasking while waiting in line to get our new best friend But an iPhone can’t fulfill that role—it comes and never stays in the end

Nevertheless, countless teenagers will buy one and join the cool cult Becoming slaves to a product that makes them feel so used, yet so adult They will worship it, oblivious to what goes on in front of their eyes But awake when they crash into someone who subsequently dies

Parents, no doubt, will not pick up on this graphic tip They, too, will inevitably become slaves to a product that makes them feel

hip They will lose their grip and forget about sharing dinner at the table Thus, their kids won’t care and, in its place, watch cable

The key solution to this dilemma is for everyone to take a breath Materialism is a volatile, lonely death Because if we continue on this path they’ll be nothing new and vibrant Everything will be done too soon and the world will be stagnant

Overall, society will be a much better place if we don’t bleed it dry It will age appropriately with us and not destroy us in shrouded lies The truth is that we should be fluent in what the past and present holds Then our essence can’t be bought and sold