Future Barter

by J.S. O’Keefe / December 7th, 2025

weed out betrayal first:
each promise be solid silver,

auric value found in words fitly spoken


trust has returned:
I give all I can,

you take no more than you need,
and vice versa

no government,
no vanguard,

no more proclamations

we gain true wealth
as we circle back
 where it started
ten thousand years ago;
but this time we keep close watch on wisdom
we let erode foolishly

every evening we gather at the common fire,

warming our tired hands,

cooking dinner

J.S. O’Keefe’s short stories, essays and poems have been published in Everyday Fiction, WENSUM, Roi Faineant, 101 Words, Spillwords, AntipodeanSF, 50WS, Friday Flash Fiction, etc. Read other articles by J.S., or visit J.S.'s website.

This article was posted on Sunday, December 7th, 2025 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.