What Are Your Words Worth?

The world’s a marketplace

A swap shop of syllables 

An exchange of phrases 

Each one comes at a price

The words sold face to face

Are worth their weight in gold

And each one raises

Your total sacrifice 

An expletive’s a nickel  

They’re sold by vendors on every street

The supply is high, yet still they fly

And rack up on your receipt 

What are your words worth?

The ones you say to me

Were they picked up on the sidewalk or 

Bought: quarter, nickel, dime, penny

What are your words worth?

We scour for discounts

Buying bulk for a bargain

Sifting, thrifting 

Though quality is less

And these surplus amounts

Are used and used again

Regifting, shifting 

sentence structure to impress

A dollar for a compliment

They’re sold cheap if they’re not true

Sometimes you splurge on truer words

Though the knock offs thrill you too

What are your words worth?

When you tell me that you care

Were they chosen for me personally 

or comprised of scraps that you could spare

What are your words worth?

I‘m not a millionaire

I treasure my property

Words aren’t worthless

I don’t just throw my cash away

And now I stand and stare

With pockets that are empty

Cuz all I had was used to purchase 

a simple three word phrase 

What are your words worth?

When you say “I love you too”

I saved my cents at your expense 

Did the same struggle occur for you

What are your words worth?