Dealing with the Devil

It’s funny how dead you can feel inside
when all there is to life, is a deal with the devil –
the devil that is capitalism,
tempting you with money, the luxuries, the dreams.
It’s a deal you cut when you’re born into this world.
The devil engrains his gifts into you,
whispering this is what you want,
that this is what you need.

When it comes time to let go of the menial exchanges
and elevate your desires that you’ve kept hidden so long –
the devil’s gifts are already embedded so deeply into you,
that you won’t be able to forego them without a fight.
Your battle with the devil will be within,
against the his mandates living in your mind.

For not choosing his options, the devil will hold out on rewarding you.
The pursuit of your self without the devil may leave you decrepit,
in the boones of society,
hungry with a deep lust to fill up your pockets,
or it may reward you,
leaving you drenched in the money, the luxuries the dreams.

The irony of it all.
Even when we choose ourselves,
we can’t escape the devil.

By Saya Iwasaki

Biography:

Saya Iwasaki writes poetry reflecting the emotional burden that stems from existing in today’s society. Having grown up in multiple international societies as a Japanese woman, her poetry straddles the dualities of being a woman continuously searching for her identity and belonging while living with trauma and dissociation. Formerly an art teacher and graphic designer, Saya received her MA in Education at Stanford and went on to immerse herself in the tech world. Poetry is her foray into herself.