A PERPETUITY

I

We were best friends in college,

I’ve followed your struggles

live in my feed. At least

you got the dog, Gus the

golden retriever.

“My word is my bond,” you said,

a promissory note, paperless.

Fair warning—

debt can yield fleeting highs

before the payback.

A bond means to serve.

A bond is a responsibility.

Often it is heavy.

They call it an indenture.

I’m a good friend, always

there to pick up scraps the way

meat clings to bone.

A return that’s fair is all I ask.

I like being lender,

free to collect or cancel

on a whim.

Not that I will.

Debt amplifies.

II

I lend from the surplus of my heart,

and the heart wants principal plus interest. 

A bond finds meaning in

connection, not

mere accumulation.

Based on a promise,

one to give, another to take, then to

return more than was given.

I look forward to

good deeds spun,

carrying their promise of return.

This is my conceit, my extravagance.

III

Find any two men with a bond

and there is credit, creation of equity.

Word and promise.