Like a pig shot and bleeding, I squeal and trundle forward

Prodded by the searing golden rays of potential

Showing me What I am and what I am not yet

stewing in stagnant waters of indolence

For so long I have done naught but consume

Dining upon the fruits of artist’s labor

Lounging on the foundations my forbearers built for me

And caught in the pleasant viscous warmth of the stream

Endless enjoyment easy entertainment

Consuming one another merging into one

A useless mass of slop for someone else’s profit

And under the weight the ancestors palanquin crumbles

Their work

Their strife

their hopes

Their dreams

Their love

in vain

Wealth and Wisdom accumulated over generations

To benefit themselves and the next

Maybe even at the expense of others

Squandered by one foolish son

An anxious self loathing vision

Whether born from truth or delusion

It is the bullet of change pushing me forwards

Gnawing fear to fuel unrealized dreams of splendor

Dreams to combat the dread signs of a struggling world

That has glutted itself wantonly as I have.

                                                                  
JACK FINLEY is a first year student pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering.