Earning Wages

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?