greed

by Linda M. Crate

the world worships
money
as if it were a new
religion,
and the only temple and only
mosque they need
is a shop with a sale;
but not me—
i've seen the allure of money
fail those who worship it
people
betting their lives savings
only to lose it all,
and people spending it all on booze
until all they have left is
a hangover;
money is no solution
it doesn't solve everything
only makes greed worse
because it is only meant to be a means
and not an end—
we were never meant to worship it
like people do,
and we wonder why the world is in chaos
because people love money more than
people and they love things
more than people, too, without seeming to realize
people were meant to be loved and things and
money to be used—
some people worship money,
but i will never bend my knees to the
mosque of greed.