Bits of paper and cardboard

Numbers on a screen

they have no value in itself

yet they mean the world

they mean the world

to the desperate on the streets

to the dreamer living in a nightmare

to the wealthy with an unsatisfied heart

it means food, it means shelter

it means education, it means stability

it means opportunity: a chance

to become who you want to be.

it means your worth;

your ability, your intelligence

it means

survival

why, you ask?

because we made it that way