The title "The Golden Touch" alongside the mention of King Midas in the second stanza are both allusions to the Greek myth of King Midas. These allusions further emphasize the poem's message of the consequences of greed. Additionally, the poem is written in iambic pentameter with an AABA rhyme scheme. The colonies of ticks and fleas serve as a metaphor for some of the unsustainable systems based on consumption currently in place. Overall, this poem is meant to represent the long-term consequences of abusing nature's limited resources.
"The Golden Touch,"
Horizons: Vol. 5
, Article 16.
Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/horizons/vol5/iss1/16