This burning urge,
this itch
of greed to grab what’s green:
This yearn to pilfer,
steal,
to launder dough
in offshore bank accounts,
This. our lust of being rich
has left the rivers
dry,
it’s silenced spring.
This, our human nature
reeks
from ash.
Kim hosts the Quadrille at dVerse tonight, and the word of today is rich.
A quadrille is a poem in 44 words (excluding title) and today it has to contain the word rich.
—-
May 20, 2019
Björn Rudbergs writings 
The sins we commit against mother nature are long & seemingly endless. I feel sadness for rivers dry due to greed & lust for money. That photo is heartbreaking.
The photo is actually volcanic ash… not caused by humans at all…
While echoing your sentiments, I have to say how much I hate Pink Floyd, the richest rock band ever, making money out of pretending to despise wealth.
Ha… indeed.
Money for nothing… to echo another band.
They really get up my strils.
I like the assonance between “rich” and “reek”.
Ah, you’ve gone for the unscrupulous, greedy rich, Björn! I love the alliteration in ‘greed to grab what’s green’ and the way it’s contrasted with the dry rivers and ‘silenced spring’, a horrible thought.
It was one of those times when I really looked for rhymes and alliterations…
Greed is such a powerful emotion. It’s so sad what it has driven men to do. Excellent write Bjorn.
Right on, brother; unlike the line from movie WALL STREET–greed is not good. I like it when you get after politics.
The last line stings. I think we can all be guilty at times, but there are some that have changed the world with their selfishness. Love the alliteration in the third line….it’s harsh and cold.
Excellent piece. Wonderful rhythm.
And I love Pink Floyd.
“silenced spring,” is such a poignant and apt description of the chaos surrounding Mother Nature .. sigh .. Powerful write, Bjorn! ❤️
Our human nature reeks, alright. It is to our shame that we chase material wealth over true wealth.
Great meter and internal rhyme in this *rich* poem
Luv the juxtaposition of rich against the endlines
“This, our human nature
reeks
from ash.”
Happy Monday
much love…
Yes. It is all ash. Just like the end of GOT and power made queen.
There is certsinly no doubt that greed is plundering our earth. Well stated here Björn!
I am back via Toads, and still feeling your poem here Björn…
So true
Reminded me of the Midnight Oil song, Beds are Burning.
Nice take on the prompt.
This one made me feel sad as I fear greed will destroy our earth. Grab whats green, the hell with the trees mentality of world leaders.
PS – I am a PInk Floyd fan.
A vivid description of human nature. So true.
Sad commentary on human society! Liked the line of reeking of ashes.
Sigh. It’s heartbreaking truth, Bjorn. This reminds me so much of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.
Greed silencing spring is such a stark image….
It certainly does reek — this greed is so well expressed in these words, Bjorn. Well penned!
And the poster boy for this mindless rapaciousness sits in the highest office of my county, put there by those who want to be just like him. Your piece perfectly echoes the disgust I feel every day.
So true, and well-expressed. Like others, I like the alliteration and the rhythm of this.
Yes, greed for what is green, my heart aches for nature.
That’s why greed is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Left unchecked, it’s insatiable
44 words that pack a powerful punch. Sigh. Greed is running us all off the cliff, those who are aware dragged willy nilly by the power of the greed-mongers. Very discouraging. EXCELLENT poem!
“Rich” and “greedy” seem to be synonymous these days, with the disparity of that top 1%.
Oh you’ve nailed it on the head. And in the U.S. we have the recent scandal of the rich buying entrance for their kids in to the best colleges and universities….with money to pay off coaches (even though their child will never play in the sport); money paid to test proctors to change answers for their kids….etc etc etc. So very sad. Greed is certainly one of the deadly sins!
This burning urge blinds us to our absolute defeat. Well done, Bjorn.
The human race has a duty to care for the earth and is rewarded by sustain ourselves from it. We are destroying it rather than care for it. And we are stealing its riches for ourselves.
..
Who knew truth could be told this perfectly in 44 words?
we are now living with the ramifications of greed throughout this world but materially and psychologically…bkm
This portrays the greed quite well. We live in sad political times.
You’ve expressed the dark side of human nature. These are the lines that resonated most with me,
“This. our lust of being rich
has left the rivers
dry,
it’s silenced spring.”
You bring so much power and truth to the surface in a brief poem.
True and beautifully expressed, Björn, but the optimist in me wants to add … reeks … but struggles like the phoenix to rise from the ashes 🙂