ABOUT THE POEM: This poem traces a life observed as a ledger: childhood in study, adulthood in work, middle age in reflection, and old age absent. It critiques societal and familial systems that measure worth in currency rather than character. The speaker witnesses the poor performing wealth, the rich performing poverty, and those who reject money entirely being undervalued. Family obligations take from the individual, leaving a lifetime of isolation as the ultimate cost. The poem merges philosophy, social critique, and personal reflection, framing life as an economic and moral account.Title – Compound Isolation
Childhood passed in studies,
adulthood in earning.
Middle age slipped into philosophy and rehab-
and old age will not come at all.
I have seen the poor carry a king’s attitude,
the rich pretend to be poor,
and that one person too
who cared nothing for money-
whom the world, to teach the value of cash,
refused to value at all.
Family harvested the gold-
left the field barren of worth.
Investment returned in silence-
profit taken, son discarded.
Gave until empty-
received refusal as receipt.
Blood ties balanced the books-
debited the man forever.
The richest gift:
a lifetime of compound isolation.
Life turned into a balance sheet,
tales of love left incomplete.
