A Stolen Dollar

A stolen dollar

Isn’t going to get you far

But it feels like

It’ll get you further

Than a dollar you get

The right way

Because the right way

Means you had to work for it

You spent time on it

You gave it some...energy

A stolen dollar means

You just stole it

That you didn’t donate

Any real effort to it

That you got away with something

That you took something

That didn’t belong to you

But I guess depending on the way

You believe money works

Maybe

Maybe

Maybe

It doesn’t belong to anyone

Maybe money is a construct

Maybe ownership is a construct

Maybe morality is a construct

And stealing and theft

Are just words invented

By biblical rich people

Who wanted to stay rich

And couldn’t believe that one day

We could such differences in currency

A million dollars

And one dollar

You’re not stealing a million

You’re stealing a dollar

And who needs a dollar?
Who REALLY needs a dollar?

And since nobody really needs it

Does that mean

You can steal it?

If something is worthless

And a dollar

I think we can all agree

Is worthless

Then what is the harm

In moving it

From one person

To another?

We move lots of worthless junk

Back and forth

And nobody cares

But because we call this worthless thing

Money

Taking it

When we’re not told to

Becomes a crime

What if I just took a dollar

Out of your wallet

Or your purse?

What if I did it right in front of you?
No deception

No malice

Just a pluck

And a smile

Would you stop me?

Would you fight me

For a dollar?
Over a dollar, I should say

Over a worthless dollar

Would you go over the line

Of civility into violence

Just so you could get

Those hundred pennies back?

You wouldn’t fight for a hundred pennies

Would you?

Would you fight for twenty nickels?
Four quarters?

Why?

Why would you do that?

You’d let it go

And so why not take it?

Why work for it?
Why earn it?
It’s worthless

It has no value

But when you add another

And another

And another

Then comes value

The comes the crime

But where does it start?

Hard to know, isn’t it?

Isn’t it very, very hard

To know?