Matt Drake – The Lottery / Shirley Jackson

Bring Back the Then and Now

dollar bills ground fine

blowing grit into my eyes,

watering not out of discomfort

but sorrow,

as the green has paled

transparent and valueless,

existing as a memory

on magnetic strips,

worn by careless touch,

a presidents hand

is not divine enough to revive,

taxing shocks ripple the heart,

but now eyeing the wilderness

of vacant strip malls

and realtor bunted houses,

the burden heavier than sorrow

breaks the wage mule back,

sat roadside aimless

flickers of eyes do not register,

tomorrow comes,

and another one,

every journey has an end

yet this one i cannot see

just yet