Bills for Bills of Bills for Bills

Charlotte Stuart

They hand me bills for bills of bills for bills,

Stacked like bricks in window sills.                                                                   

Pay what you owe, then pay what comes.

A tangled song the system hums:

A doctor’s bill, a phone bill too,

A bill to tell me rent is due.

A bill for water, light, and gas;

A bill to fix my metro pass.

I pay a bill to check my bills,

Then pay again for late fee thrills.

They charge me more for paying late;

A bill for daring to hesitate.

It’s bills for bills of bills for bills,

A dance of digits, endless hills.

Money earned is money gone,

Before I’ve even stretched or yawned.

A meal? A book? A dream to chase?

Not now! Another bill takes place.

It’s bills for debt and debt for bills,

A quiet war without the kills.

And still I smile, still I sign,

Still I queue up in the line.

Because the world spins, groans, and drills,

On bills

  for bills

   of bills

    for bills.

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