the more i read
the more i realize
every great discovery
is based off greed
the great explorers
searched for gold
or trade routes
from which they would
acquire more gold
philosophers peddled
ideaologies for pennies
more concerned about
food in their bellies
scientists seeking
to turn lead into gold
accidentally leading to
discoveries they then
patented and sold

the more the fool
i find myself
falling in love
with this dead art
spitting pithy profanities
into the wind
to have them pummel
me as they blow back
rumbling guts
and slowly degrading
leaving love letters
like scattered wildflowers
everywhere in my wake

it seems so trivial
trading heartspun dander
for filthy paper
but then i remember
crafty old alfred nobel
selling nitroglycerine
and causing countless deaths
as he accrued wealth
yet remembered for
a prize in pursuit of peace
and i realize that
it is all a scam
and future generations
are nothing but rubes
so i write more of this
cynical idiocy
seeking troves of treasure
in this insolent sludge