A new perspective

For years I gave my hard earned wages
To those so-called "financial sages"
Hoping that in my years of twilight
I would not toil through the night

But now I watch with great despair
My retirement vanishing in thin air
All those dollars tucked away
No longer there for rainy days

Social Security? Insecure.
My pension? It is gone for sure!
Instead of living on my 401k
"Welcome to WalMart" is what I say

Instead of growing old with friends
I now worry about meeting ends
And how my doctor will be paid
Without the help of MediCaid

Who's to blame for my predicament?
Where was all my money spent?
On things we wanted but did not need
On possessions that reveal our greed

We did not spend it on education
Or no longer being a debtor nation
We spent it on the things we wanted
And all the things our neighbors flaunted

At what point did we begin to prize,
Jealousy in others eyes?
We buy things we cannot afford
For what? So we can feel adored?

Flat screen TVs in every room
Anything we can consume
So we can stay inside and play
Growing fatter and duller each passing day

Have we forgotten that what matters most,
The things of which we can truly boast,
Are the relationships we have and share,
With all the people we know who care?

It wasn't Wall Street that caused this mess
It was our own, gluttonous excess
I'm glad we're in financial strife
It will force us to examine our life

This catastrophe is what we need
To help reset our priorities
To focus not on possessions and wealth
But instead on our families and health