Poems by Irwin Mercer

When we were born with no possession.
The love received was our concession.
No worries, no fears, no troubles, no fuss.
In mother's arms we put our trust.

But as we grew, we looked and craved,
and all too soon became enslaved.
The more we saw, the more we wanted.
Our quest for more became undaunted.

Our thirst for more could not be quenched.
The more we grasped, the tighter we clenched.
We scampered and gathered and gathered to hoard.
Possessions became our master and lord.

And when we're old with our treasures all heaped,
a sad example of what greed has reaped.
Our fists still clenched in a grasping motion,
till at our death, when our hands are opened.

I once knew a man who lived in a jar.
For a stranger sight you'd have to go far.
I asked him once why he lived in a jar.
He grimaced and said, how bizarre you are.

My jar's so cozy, warm and bright,
Even in the full moonlight.
The only drawback is, you see,
Getting out quickly when I have to pee.