deepundergroundpoetry.com
Hoi Polloi
competitive living,
the hunt for the holy grail
is all for show;
everyone is certain
their neighbor has it,
and they covet
to the point
of conspicuous
gluttony
the hoi polloi,
with an inability
to conduct their own
investigations,
jet fueled by Vyvance,
noses to the grind
~fake it til you make it, baby ~
while consuming
Costco cases of wine
and joking about it
on Facebook,
not realizing
that chronic dis-ease
and irreplaceable moments
are the only prize awarded
for the quest
the hunt for the holy grail
is all for show;
everyone is certain
their neighbor has it,
and they covet
to the point
of conspicuous
gluttony
the hoi polloi,
with an inability
to conduct their own
investigations,
jet fueled by Vyvance,
noses to the grind
~fake it til you make it, baby ~
while consuming
Costco cases of wine
and joking about it
on Facebook,
not realizing
that chronic dis-ease
and irreplaceable moments
are the only prize awarded
for the quest
Published 9th Oct 2020
Author's Note
Written for the Word of the Day thread: hoi polloi
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
9th Oct 2020 5:32am
I love the word itself .. hoi palloi.. underused, misused .. not here though. Well thought out statement and finessed with fine poetic nurture 👌🌙
9th Oct 2020 5:35am
I immediately loved the word as soon as I saw it in the thread. Thank you so much for your kindness 💜
I really like existential poetry like this, and I can relate to it from the bottom of my heart. It's very well-expressed, and resonates deeply with my own feelings on the matters of consumerism.
You captured well your sense of disenchantment with modern society here, evoking the feeling of cognitive dissonance that is brought on by living a superficial and meaningless existence in the pursuit of empty pleasures which bring no true joy to ones life. There are some people who may never wake to the reality that the American "dream" is actually a delusion...
Made me think of the song 'Time' by Pink Floyd:
"Ticking away
the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste
the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around
on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone
or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine
staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long
and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find
ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run,
you missed the starting gun."
Great writing, as per your usual ❤️
You captured well your sense of disenchantment with modern society here, evoking the feeling of cognitive dissonance that is brought on by living a superficial and meaningless existence in the pursuit of empty pleasures which bring no true joy to ones life. There are some people who may never wake to the reality that the American "dream" is actually a delusion...
Made me think of the song 'Time' by Pink Floyd:
"Ticking away
the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste
the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around
on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone
or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine
staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long
and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find
ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run,
you missed the starting gun."
Great writing, as per your usual ❤️
9th Oct 2020 4:21pm
Thank you, NewB, that’s a great song. Modern living is complicated and there are some valiant efforts being made, but I was feeling a bit dramatic after watching David Attenborough’s witness statement. We have to do better.
9th Oct 2020 2:08pm
Consumerism and competitive behaviour is the ultimate downfall of each person who worships them. Well expressed, Luna.
9th Oct 2020 4:23pm
Anonymous
9th Oct 2020 4:59pm
I looked up Lisdexamfetamine. Yowzers. Probably not recommended with wine of any kind. Those final five lines sum this tightly. Another great write, Luna. You're turning into a a Word of the Day juggernaut.
9th Oct 2020 5:33pm
Add a sugar-free Red Bull with your mid-morning coffee break and you have the icing on the cake that is heart disease by 40. Thank you, JB I’m enjoying the thread immensely 💜.
11th Oct 2020 8:55pm
Well said. "Comparison is the thief of joy." FDR said methinks, however, as consumers, we are greatly encouraged to compare and covet.
11th Oct 2020 9:04pm
The fear of missing out is a very effective for creating effective consumers; the only defense we have against the onslaught is to find true contentment within. Thank you as always, my friend 💜.
