For $10 an hour, I am a shield.
I will physically put out a small fire,
Stay to the back as a crowd rushes before me.
I will wield the fire hose and perish in my theater.

For $10 an hour I am a law book.
I will write a Motion and file it,
Research 20 cases for a defense.
I will digest thousands of documents into a page of highlights.

For $10 an hour I am the storefront.
I will repeat the same information ad nauseum smile intact,
Taking the twenty from the child "paying" for his ice cream.
I will never fail to find the particular bamboo patterned plate.

For $10 an hour I am the sun.
I will light the way for the most vulnerable,
Showing them a way through their life's mistakes.
I will shine brighter alone than with many.

For $10 an hour, I am not what you want.
I will not bare myself to the world,
Stripping away flesh to reveal the bone beneath.
I will not give everything away.

But at what price do I stop?