Words can...
hurt
Words can...
heal
Words can...
steal
Words can...
build
Words can...
knock down
Words can...
make you smile
Words can...
cause you to frown
Words can...
lie
Words can...
speak truth
Words are powerful tools
I prefer to use them carefully

”tonight we fall back,”* 
she calls from the kitchen;
as another year of savings 
comes to its end.

but what she doesn't know 
can't comprehend is
her partner’s been scheming 
to create a new trend.

the time is approaching
he hardly can wait
to make his announcement
to change his own fate

he knows it’s his moment
to make his debut
to shine in the sun, yes
they’ll adore him, he’s sure

for in secret he’s plotted
their rules to bend
their idyllic practice 
he’s about to upend.

those roll-over minutes 
that each Fall they give back
he’s been saving them up 
for a trip to his bank.

he watched everyone else 
as their hour disappears
while he’s saved up his minutes 
for twenty-three years.

so this Monday’s the day 
that he’s cashing them in
a whole twenty-four hours
a full day to spend;

in trade or as barter
he could gift them for free
to spend how he wants 
any which way he please.

or, when all of his friends 
have to roll out of bed
he’d have twenty-four hours 
to roll over instead.

its not counterfeit money 
he’s sure that it's not
he’s just saving his own
that yearly he got;

it can’t be a crime 
its not like minutes he prints
he’s just exploited in full 
their time-savings mint.

so if ever you’re time-broke
you might heed his advice
your roll-over minutes 
you will save if you’re wise.