The Feelings from atop the Ladder

There is an old scam.

It says there is a ladder.

It has many rungs,

and you must climb them all.

If you don’t, you will miss out,

as you watch your peers

scurry past you.

You must climb faster,

by whatever means you can.

The view from the top, they say,

is amazing,

one must savor its splendor

to feel good about oneself.

People will clap for you

when you reach the zenith.

Day and night, perpetually,

like Sisyphus, you keep toiling.

Alas, the proverbial top is elusive,

it never truly comes

in your brief lifetime.

And if it does,

by a stroke of destiny,

it is aloof and scary up there.

People who belittled you

now feel small and jealous.

You wonder:

Why did I give in to the temptation

and not enjoy the journey

in a leisurely manner?

You ponder, in remorse,

as you count your remaining days.