But Why Entertain The Muses Poem by Jabulani Mzinyathi

plunged again into melancholy
engulfed by giant waves of despair
still pursuing it with maniacal zeal
my shadow dogs me continually
usain bolt can never outpace his shadow

this is what we have become
unashamed worshippers of mammon
deriving satisfaction from trinkets
souls now irretrievably lost
turned now into one dimensional automatons

without the accompanying jingle of coins
without the allure of rustling notes
these works now dumped on the dung heap
worshippers of mammon's grand idea
that i bottle these tears for sale

for the umpteenth time
whether the harvest is material prosperity
whether there is the lap of luxury
behind the images woven by this word hoard
whether there is opulence in these voices