Life Without Melody Poem by Margaret Alice Second

Magnificent obsession or not, when I lose
interest I am bored without a light-hearted
fixation on a fun-filled object, when in need
of adrenaline and excitement, when sitting
still becomes impossible yet I do not have
energy for active displacement, motivation
is lost, cannot focus on a boring document
required by Interpol to find a stolen vehicle

I sigh, I need to control my diet and life if I
want to indulge in magnificent obsessions,
I always prefer fantasy dreams to fantastic
thinking with principles, strict programs and
goals, after eating breakfast and sending my
intolerant body into chemical orbit, I cannot
continue to concentrate on nothingness, on
frivolous activity that will be obsolete after

one or two readings, the client will only use
my masterpiece to classify the number of
cars stolen on a certain day, I play snakes
and ladders to earn my salary, throw the dice,
I feel well, eat something, to be swallowed by
the snake, I sink down five rows to carry on
with nothing to show for sitting on this hard
chair, nothing done to benefit mankind, no

support given to anyone except helping my
colleagues to move papers around, change
terms from red to blue, without song or
beauty or accomplishment, life without
melody…