there's fungus on the money

there's fungus on the money.

there's fungus in the cars.

there's fungus on the papers, in facebook comments, on the six o'clock news.

the more exposure you get, the more it works its way into your brain.

"i worked hard for what i've got. why should someone else get something for free?" it whispers, and you repeat.

"if kids are going hungry, their parents should feed them",

"if you're poor, you should get a job",

"if you want things to change, you should do it the right way".

should, should, should. it's the fungus' favourite word.

some people have more fungus than others. they thumb through wads of cash as it coats their fingers, coats their lungs.

in some places, the fungus arrived on boats hundreds of years ago.

"this is all yours for the taking" the fungus whispered then.

the fungus recognises all others in whom it has taken host. it votes for it to hold office, it defends its honour, it defends its wealth.

as you peek through your blinds at strangers on the street, the fungus whispers "who is that? what are they doing? we should call the police".

the police, of course, are fungus too.

at the welfare office, it is fungus that determines what you receive.

"lazy, no-good, rotten. every cent you give them is money out of your pocket" it whispers to the person behind the desk.

at the doctor's office, the fungus accuses you of drug-seeking and tells you to lose weight.

behind the four walls of your castle on wheels, the fungus screams indignantly at cyclists on the road.

at the book store you can find books on the secret to making more fungus. in another section fungus has written books about how its kids were tricked into going no-contact. in another section you can buy books to fund the fungus' campaign to kill trans people.

some people see the fungus and say "we must get rid of it".

some people see the fungus and say "the problem is the wrong people have it".

some people take substances that help them break free of it. but as time passes the fungus slowly but surely gains control once again.

i run into an old friend, and talk about life. and as they speak, it dawns on me that the fungus has taken them too.

in therapy, in my journal, in solitary moments, i try to find every corner of my mind the fungus hides.

"if i just keep doing the work, i can rid myself of the fungus".

this compulsion, i realise, is the work of the fungus too.