How soft and sweet,
Is the quest for happiness,
A sip of joy-like nectar,
And then the greed increases,

Sip…
Gulp…..
Goblet…….
Jug …………..
Cellar …………

The thirst increases,
Insatiable, unquenchable thirst
And then it dies,
A slow, tortured death,

Leaving you parched,
And p u n c t u r e d for want of breath,
And memories that inflict pain,
At the slightest recollection,
Is all that remains.

The quest…..now…
The conquest…
For it has now conquered your very existence.

- njm