The lost rituals of fun

Once upon a time, people only worked 9-5,

& made enough to go home with time to spare.

But at home lived a monster:

the monster of time itself.

It drained newcomers of joy, leaving them empty and lost.

Until Peter discovered its weakness: the rituals of fun.

Peter spread the word, and people began fighting back.

They hung out, cooked, wrote, watched films & read.

Rituals to rest and play.

But that golden age has passed, replaced by a new world.

One that works 9-5, then 5-9.

Now joy must squeeze into the margins of two worlds.

Contained, rationed, fitting into the gaps of a life already full.