Greatness

The neglected piles up
And the heap grows
Larger than most—
A Mount Olympus for men.
The rare few atop breath
The rarefied air of this altitude
And the taste's indescribable,
Like rancor to the gods.
They will not return.
They cannot return.
They paid the price
And it's nonrefundable.

Trapped in the rubble—
The families, the friends, the lovers
Struggle to escape the wreckage,
But they will,
And when they do,
They will not ascend.
They cannot afford it.
They hollowed their wallets
And the repayment's lost in the mail.

They will return to the bottom
As sacrifices, scarred and burned,
By anointed idols in mortal form.