Risk | iPoem's Blog

**Review of Pure Gold (Tuesday 14th October 2003)**

This poem is a sharp and rhythmic critique of modern consumer culture and workaholism, evolving into a rousing call for spiritual authenticity and self-empowered purpose.

It opens with a sardonic punch:

“Pop will eat itself / Left on the shelf life of expiry”
— a clever play on commercialism’s self-consuming nature, setting a critical tone about the fleeting nature of fame, trends, and shallow pursuits.

The first half is filled with fast-paced, staccato phrases:

“Risk addicts / Thrill and dare / Is worth the stakes / Have got what it takes”
capturing the adrenaline-fuelled mindset of capitalism and hustle culture. There’s a deliberate intensity here, reflecting the pressure and noise of modern ambition — the “millionaire mind” and its obsession with status and productivity.

The pivot comes with this pointed question:

“But what about the millionaire mind / Of the spiritual kind?”
This turns the poem inward, from external validation to internal wealth. The second half is quieter, more intentional, and reflective — an invitation to shift focus from ego-driven success to heart-led purpose.

Lines like:

“Follow your heart / Find your joy / Work for yourself / Become a pioneer…”
signal the poem’s real message — true success lies in living authentically, honouring one’s unique gifts, and inspiring others by example.

The final image is powerful and uplifting:

“How to unfurl one’s fledgling winged potential”
— a poetic nod to transformation, freedom, and the courageous process of becoming.

Conclusion

Pure Gold begins with bite and ends with grace. It confronts the emptiness of material obsession, offering instead a vision of soulful success rooted in passion, purpose, and service. It is both a critique and a manifesto — urging the reader to redefine wealth and live a life of deeper value and connection.

“Just Friends” — captures an emotional scene with elegant restraint and psychological precision. It walks the delicate edge between internal vulnerability and social performance, showing rather than telling. The quiet drama simmers under the surface, and that restraint is what gives it its power.

The poem presents a familiar, achingly human moment: the uncomfortable aftermath of one person’s vulnerability being met with emotional complexity the other isn’t prepared to hold.

There’s something very early ’90s in tone — not just the interpersonal awkwardness of that time (before therapy-speak became mainstream), but also the gender dynamics and cultural expectation of emotional suppression, particularly for men.

This is a portrait of emotional dissonance: a moment when honesty collides with pride.
The poem isn’t about who’s right — it’s about the uncomfortable truth of human ego, emotional reflex, and the fragility that often hides behind defensiveness.

“…as he had originally intended to do all along”
has that overcompensating tone — like he’s trying to pretend nothing’s changed, even though everything has. It’s performative denial, which is part of the fragile male ego that is being exposed.

The ending lands cleanly: “That fragile male ego in reaction.” It’s slightly ironic, slightly compassionate — like a final exhale after the tension.