A single soul cries out in my empty sky

as my ocean eyes search with frantic wind.

I step back and see my reflection of the past -

tidal waves froth, unleashing bellows of my mind

I reveal my true self as I stand strong and silent

Striving to grow in my own direction as

I arrange guiding stars in an array of light.

Damp moisture recedes from my cells

forms a little waterfall in my dimpled hands.

Captured whispers feed my addiction for growth.

Flames lick my essence as I trust my inner voice

to travel with heightened reality, not illusion.

I thrive in my reach for the highest skies,

opening myself up to tomorrow’s reach of

                      Possibilities.

Answering this question is a most thought provoking task.

Why is growth addictive?

Before I delve into answering this seemingly simple question I feel compelled to point out that growth isn't necessarily addictive so much as it is inevitable.

The one thing that connects all forms of life on this planet is growth.

Birth, Growth, Death. This is the cycle we along with every other single living being progress through.

So first I will answer this question with a question, is growth addictive, or is it merely inevitable?

Since it is my personal conclusion that growth is inevitable I can now answer the question prompted to me by A.

I believe that growth is addictive because of its inevitability. We are born into a world in which we should thrive and grow.

Is it not satisfying when we do the very thing we were made to do?

Take it step further, is it not a phenomenal feeling when you do what you were meant to do, and you do it well?

It is my opinion that growth is addictive because it is what all life is meant to do.

To grow is to live,

To stagnate is to die.

It's not the growth

Itself

That's addictive

It's what comes with it

The benefits of growing up

Of growing old

The freedom

When you're 10

You're the top of elementary school

When you're 11

You're in middle school

When you're 14

You're in high school

At 16

You can drive

That's more freedom

At 18

You're an adult

More freedom

At 21

You can drink your soul away

At 23

Your brain is fully developed

Then you fall in love

Have kids

Raise a family

Then you grow old

You earn your respect

You tell stories from when

You were still young

Then comes

The hands of death

And you're gone

But you've left a goal

For future generations

So it was all worth it

Cuz you couldn't stop

You were addicted

To growing up

When we were just those tiny seeds inside our mother’s wombs

A thousand changes charted out the pathways to our tombs

With turns and twist incumbent on the choices of our days

No matter what, no matter where we’re always in a phase

It’s not so much addictive, (though that may be hard to see)

There’s just no way to stop it without going to ‘plan B’

The backward step invites decay for which we are not made

So forward growth impels our hearts to disregard the grade

We get a fix from one good turn and like a junkie born

Need more and more good growth to keep us far from our nature’s scorn

So we just keep on living and imbibing all we can

Then high on life, we’ll meet one day, beyond the ‘promised land’

The ego is greedy

It expands all the time

If it were in our pants

It could be sublime

Growth is just something which grows on you!

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© M.Withers/M.Strudwick . All rights reserved.

Both the name The EriduSerpent/EriduSerpent

and any written material is owned solely by the above named.

Permission granted for all written material to be shared but not for profit.

Printing or publishing is prohibited without seeking permission first from said owner.

Why is growth addictive?

we always seem to find a way

to ensure we are 

never lead astray.

It is as if we can not stand to be

any less than what we define

as the best.

The waltz with death comes so early

It comes in the dawn of your 20s surely

Around that time we all stop growing

The march toward death begins without slowing

Growth does seem very addicting

Thats because death is so restricting

When we stop growing, we start dying

You can research it if you think that I'm lying

It's human nature to preserve our life

Even if it means causing other people strife

Grow big and strong, it's built right in

Along with free will and our affinity for sin

We love things that grow, that don't ever stop

It makes us feel so big, like we are on top

In spite of their sting we like honeybees

Because it's their job to pollenate the trees

Trees keep on growing until they die

They die from lack of sun or because their soil's dry

Trees that have all that they need to live

Will continue to grow and continue to give.

It's a shame that we haven't quite learned yet

To be like trees and give as much as we get

When this little issue has been solved

We'll start to grow again having finally evolved.