Transactional Love (+1)

I offered two nickels,

she demanded a dime

It wasn’t enough,

her anger declined

“Can’t you make change,”

she then shouted aloud

And while counting my failures,

her voice reendowed

But the count was undone,

all divisors were shunned

My offerings

attacked

With her vault locking down,

 and my ledger unbound

The numbers red

—not black

(Dreamsleep: October, 2020)

Intrinsecus

Centennial masterpiece,

numbers subtract

The prize in the wandering,

 years drifting back

Memory indentured,

the sour and sweet

Pointing me inward

—a timeless retreat

(Dreamsleep: October, 2020)