Dumpster Diving for Your Love – Canto XII
Now here in Southern CA where dreams come to reify,
John pondered miseries that young adults must face:
The search for purpose, paths untried,
Constant chase for money, place, and grace.
Anxious minds arising from social media ties,
Crushing debt, loves won and lost, an unrelenting pace.
These shadows grow for many in the time after school,
As the facts of growing older start to impose their rules.
In addition, fame, like a sword edge keen,
Cut through John's life, both allure and bane.
Every misstep cruelly captured, never a private scene,
A shooting star leaving a tail of unexpected pain.
A song, intoxicating, like a dopamine dream,
With empty, hollow words composing the refrain.
With an LED circle light, his visage oft shone,
But under moisturized skin, John felt all alone.
Then came the day, when something stirred and stunned,
John decided for Lily, it was time for them to part.
"Back to Moscow via Memphis, where your life begun,
Away from all asana and the plant-based burps and farts."
Lily, elated to escape at last this captive run,
Thrilled to hit the depot and get back home to heart.
While John, his conscience heavy, wore a tender frown,
As he watched Lily's bus hit the open road out of town.
Then did John throw himself into the wellness scene,
Found himself an idol amongst those Taro Tarot fans.
Single, so sought after in his tight, organic jeans.
Tested by many orange peels, him a crafty, conning man,
Can't even tell apart his vitamin K from vitamin D,
Feeling like pea-protein bacon in a frying pan.
Tired of loves from lies, all fleeting as the mist,
Yearning for some depths, yet by shallows kissed.
O! Ye wellness gurus, what parade of gut-free guise,
More strange in mind than gleaming glutes do show.
Secretly late nights indulging away from prying eyes,
In a devilish Dunkin' Donut, so sweet and sticky-doughed.
Upon microbiomes so you dote, where all woes will arise.
Analyzing each bowel movement, every little doodoo blown.
And John, amidst this culture, felt a growing void,
All the odd and occult claims, left him well-annoyed.
In this green and leafy world of dragon fruit delight,
John bobbed and weaved unsettled, undigested.
Each new healthy habit forced, bowl of yogurt far too light,
Under a pile of protein powders, his spirit sat molested.
As the pressure grew by pretending all was right,
His claims became a mask of 8 hours perfect rested.
John was seeking truths, but saw only weird web pages,
How he longed for some known source, a wisdom of the ages.