I don't understand why there's always inflation
making us all seem much richer by far
than our parents' and grandparents' generations.

It's true that our standard of living has risen
due to technology innovations
and all the new gadgets that commerce has given.

So the time is long past when we all used to gasp
with envy at rich list millionaires
since a million pounds is now easy to grasp

when so many people have that in their house.
Now to be rich you need very much more
which businessmen with the appropriate nous

gain from their markets becoming worldwide.
And film stars and pop stars all get much richer
from just the same effort more widely applied.

The new opportunities globalisation
affords means that wealth must be measured in billions
to earn any rich list approbation.

But now there are so many billionaires
what's the next step in this vanity game?
Who will gain fame as the first trillionaire?