Survival

Survival of the fittest,
Seems to have a fatal flaw,
If those who guard the fodder,
Leave the underlings to gnaw,
Until the store is compromised,
And holes reveal the blues,
Survival is the property,
Of those with naught to lose.

Survival comes in many forms,
A need to stay alive,
For starving ain’t an option,
When you wish to grow and thrive,
But some are left to wonder,
When their choices are bereft,
Sometimes the strawberry ice cream,
Is the only thing that’s left.

Survival may be physical,
But mental illness knows,
The fight to stave insanity,
Can keep you on your toes,
If minds are left to perish,
Then our bodies follow suit,
So feed the brain with wisdom,
To avoid the madness chute.

Survival is a basic need,
But basic it is not,
When food that ripened on the vine,
Was left to age and rot,
Because it didn’t meet the needs,
For supermarket troves,
There is enough to feed the world,
Yet people starve in droves.

Survival is a weapon,
It is used in peace and war,
Guerrillas fed to fight for land,
That’s governed by the poor,
The quickest way to conquer,
Is to starve the righteous seed,
Come fight for us and you will eat,
Resist us and you’ll bleed.

Survival of the fittest,
But the fittest often die,
I was considered weak,
But I no longer live their lie,
I may still struggle daily,
But my mind and body thrive,
Survival ain’t no luxury,
It’s how I stay alive.

© The Complicated Bunny – 08 Jun 2022

This poem is the first in a series of poems based around Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory Basic Needs which is something my psychologist and I are currently exploring.