The Basics Poem by bill costley

The only rational statement now isn't
"Everything's become increasingly chaotic"
but that we have increasingly conflicting
versions of what we call Basic anymore.

We can't say "The Basics & nothing more"
& be understood by spouses, families, near
neighbors, friends, enemies, strangers.

The measure of everything's warped:
There's no Too-little, but to the Starving.
There's no Enough, but to the Sated.
There's no Satisfaction, but to the Rich.

The Basics are constantly being warped
by images of increasing magnitude. Enuf
isn't just Some+, more than just Adequate;

anyone asking for adequacy is discounted
as insufficiently addicted to Increase;
many are addicted to Much, calling it Some.
We only concentrate on reducing our bodies.

(17 MAR 11, Santa Clara, CA) v7