The Church of Competition

I have seldom if at all written over the last year and a half.  This idea came to me, and this poem didn't quite get to exactly how I felt so I'll try again, but here it is, something...fresh off the brain.  This one is about how no matter how hard we try we end up comparing ourselves to others and competing when cooperation would be so much more pleasant.  I think everything in our society is set to train us this way and have us worship competition. 

 

The Church of Competition

Give an offering, sacrifice and say a prayer,

Used to wear shirts that said No Fear,

And now I should be wearing a pressed collar

And a well tied tie.

No Pain No Gain

            But no one seems to be Gaining much

Light candles, light candles,

We’ll sit in a circle,

And listen to Bible verses set to acoustic guitars

As we worship at the church of Competition.

There are trophy stores on every corner

To award God’s plan,

There’s one for the winners

And mysterious ways for all the rest.

Luck be a lady,

God and Uncle Sam are men.

Jesus and the Lombardi trophy. 

So reheat this country’s best delivery pizza,

Delivered faster than the competition,

In car and driver 1993’s safest vehicle.   

And

Light candles, light candles,

We’ll sit in a circle

And listen to Bible verses set to acoustic guitar

As we worship at the Church of Competition.

Pull ourselves up by our bootstraps,

It’s about how hard you work. 

And the cream always rises to the top

Like the foam on a 12$ cappuccino.

Best coffee in town.

Along with the best food carts

And best restaurants located within gas stations

Who compete to see who has the most gas.

To avoid the pump, I’d like to ride my bike,

But I don’t ride fast enough,

My shoulders slouch in an unattractive way.

But there’s always a great spot

Open to lock my bike,

With number one brand U-Lock

Outside,

And

Light candles, light candles,

We’ll sit in a circle

And listen to Bible verses set to acoustic guitar

As we worship at the church of competition.

So turning away

From an artificial shared condition,

To the mirror that tells me

I started this whole race with

Wealthy white male lead.

I still want my opinions to be yours too

To make a living,

I have to be the best.

Convince people,

I’m better.

So I guess I need to open my Bible

And read Revelations,

Where God rigged the game,

Cheated to win,

Mirror that mindset

And

Light candles, light candles,

We’ll sit in a circle

And listen to Bible verses set to acoustic guitar

As we worship at the church of competition.

It’s just business but it’s not.

I’m raising my daughter the best I can,

To be the best she can be,

I can only rate my performance by comparison.

Comparison to friends and acquaintances

            And with less euphemisms, strangers.

I gave up on praying a long time ago,

But I pray to be the best,

And the only way to be the best

Is to beat the best

And to stand towering

            Over,

The corpse of their lesser approach to life.

And

Unbeknownst

Unintentionally,

I wonder into a shiny storefront

On the strip mall that is decision making

Only to stumble into,

And prostrate myself to…

Light candles, light candles,

I sit in the circle

And listen to Bible verses set to acoustic guitar

As I worship at the Church of Competition.