Power Corrupts
as a child i would promise myself
that if i was ever rich,
i'd donate most of it to charity.
when i received my first paycheck
i donated most of it to charity
and stored the rest away
in case of emergency.
when i received my second paycheck,
i figured my obligation to charity had already
been fulfilled:
so i gave some to my family.
college funds, illness, meals out,
trips to visit,
and stored the rest away
for a rainy day.
when i received my third paycheck,
i figured it was high time that
i treated myself
so i browsed
online catalogues
dyed my hair,
built a tiny house
maybe got
a surgery or two,
and stored the rest away
because you never know.
when i received my fourth paycheck,
i started worrying about
taxes,
after all, more and more
of my paycheck
was being taken.
i hired someone to file them for me
(let's be real, no one really
likes doing them anyway)
and stored the rest away
because you can never be too careful.
when i received my fifth paycheck
i hired a lawyer
because my family
was starting to beg for money.
they wanted my house, my car, my generosity
as if i was nothing more than a bank.
and it wasn't just them––
my friends, my significant others––
i was reduced to nothing more
than the number after the dollar sign,
and stored the rest away
so they can pick my corpse when i'm gone.
when i received my sixth paycheck
i sat and stared at it for a long moment
wondering what i could do with it
now that i no longer had anyone left
to spend it on.
i'd begun to pray
for something bad to happen
just so i'd have a good reason
to spend my money
on something worthwhile.
but nothing happened, so i
held my breath
and stored the rest away
for a day that might never come.
when i received my seventh paycheck
i started looking
for adventure
something new and exciting
to fill the void inside of me,
searching for some space odyssey
or underwater exploration.
the danger
filled me with energy:
a reason to live, a purpose.
so i booked a trip
and stored the rest away
for the next adventure.
when i received my eighth paycheck,
the world got smaller.
adventures taken,
families funded,
charities built,
companies bought.
i had done everything there was to do
and stored the rest away
for the next life.
when i received my ninth paycheck
i wondered if it was possible to buy
salvation,
if i could buy companionship
on my deathbed,
or if i could buy immortality.
i wondered
if everyone were immortal
would we pay to die,
always looking
for what we can't have?
i started preparing for my inevitable end,
and stored the rest away
for another person to take my place.
when i received my tenth paycheck
there was no one left
to cash it.