NaPoWriMo 2015 07

And today we shall talk about money.

There are many things that I was told, as a young and
Impressionable child, never to discuss. One of these
Was politics, another was religion, and the third was
Money.
Now, over my half century on this spinning orb, I have
Had many, many discussions about politics, some heated,
Some sad, some pointless. I have had many, many conversations
About religion, its good points and its bad, its relationship
To any form of god, and its purpose. And, surprise, surprise,
I have also debated money, and pontificated thereupon,
Most often and frequently. There is a certain attraction to money,
It appeals to the deeper side of our baser natures, the lustre
Of gold calls temptingly, a siren call to selfishness and greed,
The figures on the bottom of the page can bring us a smile,
And can promise us the treats we think we deserve.
And the loose change that weighs down our pockets, or
That stops the purse from closing, that change can be annoying
And needs be put in a jar or a bag and left to dwell upon
Its own iniquities. For leave it as long as you want, it will not
Multiply or alter, but it will stay the same, the dross, the shrapnel,
The dregs of a long day, some shining, some dull, all
Jostled together in a jar. And that, perhaps, to you and I,
Is what the loose change is. But whilst the gold and the numbers are
The lifeblood of the city, the raison d'être of so many who
Work in banks and business, the small change is the lifeblood
Of the man who sits on the street and shivers. The woman who cowers in
A doorway by the station and holds her hands out in forlorn
Hope for the very loose change that you or I discard.
What world is this, where some have so much they can
Discard the change, and forget about it, and others are
Begging on the streets for a spare ten pence?
What world is this indeed? And answer comes, it is
A world in desperate need of change.

© 2ndwitch, 07/04/15