Hello again, and this time welcome to a new crap poem.
This poem is dedicated to my thoughts on money or, more specifically, credit.
The finance crisis is hitting everyone so hard, and I think the temptation to take out credit just to get by is growing every day.
This poem covers the mess our generation has found itself in and how the same mistakes could be avoided.
Here it is…
**********
Bills
I know when he’s drawing close,
the dog growls at the door.
A fumbling of the letter box,
and dread drops to the floor.
I pick them up then hide them quick.
What I don’t know won’t hurt me.
But somehow they keep calling me,
letters with my spending debris.
Remember being a pen pal?
When letters were a laugh.
Stickers sent to scratch and sniff.
I craved those telegraphs.
Later it was freebies,
and every month they came.
Subscriptions for new CDs,
all in my mothers name.
Then I got a letter
that I could not resist
It didn’t matter how I tried;
their offers would persist.
‘Try out our new credit card’,
as I became eighteen.
‘Free money!’ thought my naive mind.
The bills became obscene.
What I went through isn’t strange,
Our gen is built on credit.
Shopping sprees to numb the pain,
Just charges we inherit.
Over twenty years have passed.
So many repossessions.
Why ain’t finance management
a part of kids school lessons?
I’m not stupid, but I still
got caught up in this trap.
Grafting daily just to pay
my mounting debt was crap.
Pensions, mortgage, interest rates
and investment planning.
Credit cards and online deals.
The flames of debt we’re fanning.
Of course a spend-up feels real good,
but everything in reason.
Budgets help you stay afloat.
Spend day not spending season.
I paid my debt but still get scared
each time my letters drop.
Brown envelopes cause sweaty palms,
and I prepare for shock.
Credit pays out easily
their actions can be awful.
Lenders chasing teenagers?
Their snare should be unlawful.
I don’t remember spending well,
but I cannot forget
the first demand that bore my name
and bailiffs were the threat.
For years I worked to dissipate
just days of pointless spending.
But threatening letters did the job.
They were not pretending.
Looking back, I sometimes think
‘Would I have considered
not taking out the credit card
if I’d been a money wizard?’
I wish I knew what I know now,
but it can’t be undone.
I wish I’d been more frugal then,
not take the cash and run.
So if you’re thinking of credit
to pay for new possessions
get advice, don’t pay the price.
Let this ode be your lesson.
***********
Thanks for readying 💜
Creative Steph 