these blatant exhibitions
of frailty

man is need
man is want
man is punctuation
man is ellipsis
man was
and still is

an aged man leaning towards
the ATM, eyes squinting,
body in slackened cursive
drawn by little light,
commandeered by mechanized voice

enter
the
amount

the price
of
existence
wanes
slurs
laughs at us

what does life mint
in the blank paper?

man is want
man is need
man is slave
man is punctuated
survived by no ellipses,

only by a continual drudge
of need
want
fools
all.