The very angry feeling 

that’s seeping from your words spurred 

 

Achilles’ hubris 

and darkness of soul that flows 

uncontrollably 

 

from displaced anger’s passion. 

Your Appropriations Guild 

 

distills needs from wants. 

There’s no power seekers here 

nor money grabbers, 

 

or proud perfectionists who 

insist that we adhere to 

 

dogmatic pretense. 

Your guild, Diane, as you prove 

each day, must fulfill 

 

the need for balance between 

the advance of each person 

 

and the frugalness 

that secures the communal 

reason to spend funds 

expeditiously with care 

to forswear against any 

 

nepotism or 

favoritism. Therefore 

your guild must be filled 

 

with the same passion displayed 

by your zeal that will steel us 

 

from our naive 

imperfections, but without 

misdirected rants 

 

that just might plant unfounded 

accusations impounded 

 

upon innocent

young, naive thinkers seeking 

reassurances. 

 

[Marlene]

 

It is my great pleasure to 

endeavor to ask your aid 

 

for the disclosure 

of the internal workings 

of stewards’ kernel

character that forwards their 

help to the community. 

 

Grant my eternal 

gratitude for paternal 

kindness, instruction 

 

and patience you’ll afford my 

young friend, Grace, who’ll speak frankly 

 

of her frustrations. 

She is the daughter of Shey 

Doyle, so she has 

 

familiarity but chose 

to forgo carrying coins.

 

[Grace]

 

Like my grandfather, 

Donald Doyle, my mother, 

Shey, wanted to play 

 

a superstrong, protective 

role to serve the whole body 

 

and soul of those who 

would carry Joe’s Honor Coin, 

but the high ethics 

that your banner depicts was 

engraved on their souls before 

 

coins were pocketed. 

So, I waived off the coins as 

a redundancy. 

 

What I see is a mainstream 

society with taxes 

 

as a money scheme 

to glean funds from every 

money making source 

 

to fund the public course that 

benefits the good of all 

 

who call this land, “Home.” 

The vast array of police 

who protect and serve 

 

deserves their fair share from that 

public coffer that likewise 

 

offers recompense 

for public education 

as needed expense 

 

to assure literacy 

and a strong competency 

in mathematics 

needed for monetary 

excellence at least.  

 

Hence, this short list can grow long, 

but you can see the degree 

 

of certainty that 

I possess when I confess 

your repetitive, 

 

fine structures do not offer 

something else than what occurs 

 

in our mainstream 

society at present. 

That is what I see.

 

[Herman Thursting]

 

Well said, Grace. Your perception,

without question, is quite keen,

 

but it seems to me

that the semblance of surface 

features are but the 

 

entrance to the heart of the 

soul that permeates the whole 

of all those structures 

whose future fate will be to 

continue to make 

 

harmonious life or cause 

caustic, chaotic harsh strife. 

 

I’m Herman Thursting 

from Compton’s Legality 

Guild filled with lawyers 

 

and apprentices with clerks 

who unequivocally 

 

will never shirk the 

skilled work exemplified by 

Compton’s fine lawyer, 

 

William Hastings, the Third, who 

altered lives for the better 

 

at Compton’s request 

to make the best from very 

bad situations. 

 

I am William’s third cousin 

who interned under his watch 

 

when he confirmed my

membership to Compton’s guild 

to fulfill any 

 

coin carrier’s legal need

 and to heed his high standards.