The Golden Calf

Thomas W Case



 

We bow to booze,
kneel and worship at the
altar of money,
chase women like prayers,
looking for meaning
in things that rust and rot.

Every god we build
is hollow and dead.
Every sacrifice
is empty.
We grab nothing
and still call it holy.

  • Author: Thomas W Case (Pseudonym) (Offline Offline)
  • Published: January 4th, 2026 09:24
  • Comment from author about the poem: Thank you for stopping by. I just posted a new long-form video reading from Aluminum Cowboys, along with a few gritty vignettes I wrote recently. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/QzS2hIl5HOU If you’re interested, Aluminum Cowboys: Poems and Short Stories and my other recently published books are available on Amazon. Thanks for reading, watching, and supporting the work. β€” Thomas W. Case
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 4
  • Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, Tristan Robert Lange
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Comments +

Comments3

  • Friendship

    powerful words, Your poem touches on themes of addiction (to alcohol), consumerism (money), romantic relationships, and the pursuit of meaning in life. It presents a bleak view of human existence where conventional "gods" and values fail to provide true fulfillment.

  • orchidee

    Yes, it seems daftness to worship a statue/calf made out of bronze, gold, or whatever, yet there are things that are worldly idolatries. They might be inanimate or animate things.

    • Thomas W Case

      So very true, as I try to relate in this one.

      • orchidee

        From one or two of my hymn-poems, the Bible even says this - people take a tree, burn half of it as logs on a fire, then make an idol-statue out of the other half, not stopping to think of the daftness of it all. Their minds have warped, or are darkened, to put it more scripturally.

      • Tristan Robert Lange

        You know you are getting a major hallelujah and amen out of me. This preaches prophetically for all the right reasons! It's true...and, though it very much uses religious language, this poem should not be reduced to being merely religious. It's existential and is true on every level. Great job, my friend! πŸŒΉπŸ–€πŸ™πŸ•―οΈπŸ¦β€β¬›



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