Guilty Pleasures

a poem by Sumita Pai

Multiplexes, coffee shops,
Lounge bars, restaurant rooftops,
Designer labels and fancy fast cars,
All contribute to unblemished souls and zero battle scars.

Spa treatments, first class air tickets, a happening night life,
A rich, dashing husband and a trophy wife,
Even charity causes,
All meant to be flaunted,
Without a care in the world for the lesser privileged,
Or the simple things in life that we all take for granted.

New age spiritualism and yoga,
All filling the coffers of the likes of Deepak Chopra.
What will it take to set free,
The mind, the heart, the spirit, and the soul,
Will humankind ever be allowed a reprieve?