Hungry Ghosts
Every time
that “I Have Nothing” tribute
scrolls onto my screen,
I stop and watch
even though I dislike half the song.
Christina and Whitney.
Those voices.
Almost enough
to balance the scales
against all the ugliness
pervading the world.
Hologram Whitney
also reminds me
whatever I’m chasing
won’t vanquish
my hungry ghosts either.
Not
having the world’s most transcendent voice,
being the world’s richest man or its best golfer,
building the world’s largest retailer,
getting elected leader of the free world,
topping the New York Times bestseller list,
winning every popularity contest,
sculpting the perfect body,
even finishing my to-do list.
Not even the selfless service of a Mother Teresa
staves off the dark night of the soul.
Oh, I’ll still keep trying.
And I’ll keep scrolling through
those perfect projections.
But Whitney reminds me
to stop
and look at
what I have.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
The hungry ghosts are never finally satisfied.
But longing remains.
Beauty still matters.
It’s all in how we hold them.