“Money” by Victor Contoski is an interesting poem that uses imagery to describe money as though it has the characteristics of multiple living organisms. The first stanza implies that money is a wild animal, yet it is "willing to be domesticated." The next describes it as a small creature that can fit in a pocket. The words "nest," "softly," and "curl up" suggest a cozy little animal. The third stanza moves on to describe money like a dog - likable, it attracts other people. However, the tone changes in the fourth stanza when the speaker describes money as a self-obsessed amoeba. The fifth and sixth stanzas return to treating money like an animal that needs care, exercise, and watering. In the second to last stanza, the description of money is as something humans master, yet it turns on them. Perhaps like dangerous animals that we have tried to tame for our own entertainment yet it ends up turning on its trainers and seriously injuring them. The final stanza refers to money as a snake, or some other animal with venom, that kills its victim. As the poem progresses, it describes the gradual transformation of money from a harmless little mouse to a deadly snake.
A literary device used in this poem is personification. Money, an inanimate object is given animalistic traits. This allows the speaker room to make a large variety of comparisons to encompass all of the various characteristics of money. By using this device the money has taken on a living, breathing influence, which is stronger than a simple green piece of paper. This poem is a warning for everyone, be careful of money because it will not bring you happiness and it can change you into a greedy monster.
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