Jessea L. Vaughan speaks directly to money, and the poem is built almost entirely from opposites. Money is "not an angel" and "not a curse," yet it is called both a temptress and a deception. It rescues people and ruins them, builds cities and helps destroy them, turns angels into villains and thieves into leaders. The short, blunt lines make each contradiction land like a verdict.
The most interesting move comes in the middle, where the speaker points out that money is "purely a manmade idea," as unnecessary as a doily on a table. Yet we'd fall into chaos without it. The poem ends with two questions: do we depend on money simply because it's all we've known, or because it keeps "brutes at bay"? The speaker's honest answer is "I know not."
The mood is wary and thoughtful rather than angry. The speaker isn't preaching; they seem genuinely stuck, unable to condemn money or fully trust it.