Non-Negotiable Tender

I was digging for the transit pass

behind the expired library card

and found a slip of paper

that made the breathing part hard.

'Your hard work will soon pay off.'

It’s translucent now, soaked in oil.

A fortune from a plastic tray

back when I still had the soil

to believe in a printed promise.

I put it back in the leather fold.

It’s the only thing in my pocket

that doesn't get traded or sold.