We Live in a Rising Standard of Dying

Photo by Dhruv on Unsplash

We live in a rising standard of dying,
Existing in extraordinary comfort and choice,
Which smothers our aspiration to be,
As we die before we can live.

We live in a rising standard of dying,
Acquiring wealth through any means,
Demeaning the deprived other,
As we die before we can live.

We live in a rising standard of dying,
Outsourcing our nervous system,
To the artificial machine,
As we die before we can live.

We live in a rising standard of dying,
Becoming coarse and crass,
In life and living,
As we die before we can live.

We live in a rising standard of dying,
Annihilating nature,
To cement our concrete lives,
As we die before we can live.

We live in a rising standard of dying,
Living lives of deceit and fakeness,
While scrubbing all traces of authenticity,
As we die before we can live.

We live in a rising standard of dying,
Inoculating ourselves against the pain
Of the crushed and traumatised,
As we die before we can live.

We live in a rising standard of dying,
Where Hate is adored and,
Love abhorred,
As we die before we can live

We live in a rising standard of dying.
Can we live before we die?