One Hundred Poems, Volume IX

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One Hundred Poems, Volume IX Page 8

by Tuomas Vainio

growing distance does estrange,

  There is no way the effect of it all does not derange,

  All of us who know of no other way to see our lives arrange,

  We seek to overcome the next enemy to stand before our phalange.

  Loneliness is bad for the economy

  What are the needs of a lonely man,

  Look at that New Yorker dressed as batman,

  And you see no difference to a camel riding Afghan,

  Because both of them share a lineage to the same caveman,

  And as long as they have food and shelter life is according to plan.

  There is little need for anything else,

  As any extra effort or fancy bears no sense,

  All things considered they have found their success,

  So why risk any of it to just create some strange new objects,

  Or even consider the things that at first might seem far too complex?

  The needs of an individual are easily sated,

  But with many far more things need to be traded,

  No longer it is enough to just walk around butt naked,

  Just to make others smile we see bodies and walls painted,

  And the effort we pour in makes the end result a little bit sacred.

  Without others none of it is worthwhile,

  And we do many things just to make others admire,

  Or perhaps just to hear what they can give us back as a reply,

  Others are needed for us to ever see our passions and dreams ignite,

  Because we are willing to go lengths that are more than enough to surprise.

  Things have not really changed in our time,

  We may be far better dressed and with far less grime,

  But a lonely man has very few reasons to earn or spend a dime,

  And that is what makes loneliness at least a bit of an economic crime,

  People with vigour of youth can end up wasting most if not all of their prime.

  Why would a lonely man go for cup of coffee,

  Or even look at a little store filled with toys or toffee,

  What reason could drive him consider that brand new hobby,

  Or ever see effort that makes all that came before appear little sloppy,

  When he could just maintain his food and shelter like some mindless zombie?

  900

  Nine hundred bottles of beer on the wall,

  And I have one hundred bottles more to go,

  If I do not find some excuse to slow and stall,

  It will mark the end of this task from years ago.

  That marks this 'Long Friday' of mine?

 


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