on Instagram feeds martini glasses clink in
what feels like a never-ending loop,
photo carousels from nights out show
low-lit steakhouses, tartare and souffles, and
what, in this economy, is screaming Luxardo cherries?
a roommate’s random co-worker is somehow
lounging on yet another cabana in
yet another tropical bathing suit
that has never been seen on her profile before.
a co-worker’s random roommate is
inexplicably trying out a new bitcoin-powered
bathhouse. I can’t keep up with the Joneses.
and Ms. Walsh says, “what are we saving for?
the world is going to end anyway.”
flashy finery,
caviar bumps,
broad-shouldered suits,
Chateau Marmont parties: ,
1980s-style decadence.

meanwhile
everyone is referencing
the Great Depression.
perhaps this spending is a way
to feel slightly better
about the state of the world?.
just one click away is the news:
flip-flopping on tariffs
that could hit iPhones, t-shirts,
backpacks and toothbrushes.
The R-word whispered on the news: recession.
maybe it’s hard to muster the discipline to save
when we keep hearing that
the sky is falling…