The price of envy
Most envy isn’t
Loud or obvious.
It’s a subtle
Baseline drumbeat
In the mind
That over time
Goes unnoticed
And unnamed.
A desire for
Different
Better
More or
Less.
Kept close to the vest.
Seems harmless.
Except envy is never kept
As close to the vest
As we might believe.
It colors what we see
And who we choose to be
Moment to moment.
Drips of discontent
Not wiped away
But rather accumulating
Day by day
And leaking out.
Until it
Crowds out
Our ability to
Feel grateful
See beauty
Strengthen bonds
Listen closely
Give
Receive
Laugh
And love.
A price far steeper
Than the value
Of anything
We could envy.