What is excess? I know it’s very bad —
Excess or defect, both, are common sins;
Too much of anything turns warped or mad
The man or woman who on such hope pins

Whatever they think life is, at its core.
A world of luxury and second-hand
Self-worth that comes from always wanting more;
And looking down on those who wealth has banned

From being in the presence of the ‘great’.
But much of life is random circumstance;
The choices that we make contain our fate,
Along, in no small measure, simple chance.

So never steal, and give what you can give:
Desire not to rule, but just to live