Here I stand,
Beaten up and worn down,
Frail and feeble, yet my dignity proudly shines.
My weariness no match for your unconditional love,
Feeding off of your desires and needs.
For without you, I would be nothing,
Just as you would without I.

Since the birth of my existence
I have traveled throughout history,
My date of birth inscribed as proof,
Only to be traded for your hopes and dreams, that is
Sent off on my quest to assist the next.
My evolution has shaped me,
Identical to the rest, yet my purpose is unique,
Reflecting your future, providing your prestige.
The power lies in your hands,
Only when I do, as well.

My journey has been exhausting
I descend from the depths of the conveyer,
Sustaining countless treatments and tests,
Drenched in exclusive ink, processed and pressed.
Stamped with marks of authenticity, a trademark for your troubles,
A measly number etched into my side,
Determining my worth and yours.
My friends accompany me, fulfilling your every wish,
Yet, my fulfillment is impossible,
I'll be recycled for eternity,
Your gratitude my only reward,
But your reward comes with a price.

Not everyone is so lucky,
My presence is precious, yet abused by many.
Though you control me completely,
My power drives your control.
Together, we work as well as the machinery that designed me
Crediting my creators, achieving your dreams,
Cycling me back to revive my youth, providing the chance for another.
Wrinkled, torn, smooth, faded, old, or new,
My surface is craved by your fingertips,
To fatten your wallet, and your ego.

So here I stand,
Proudly flaunting red white and blue, masked by my suit of green.
Rooting from the foundations of our ideals,
Embodying life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,
Or, in reality, the pursuit of your impulses.
A dollar bill is who I am.
A crease down the nose of my sponsor, a tear through my written guarantee,
Yet your affection for me remains untainted.
"In God We Trust" my print may read,
But, it is your trust in I, that makes the world go round.