The Evolution of the Taxman’s Hand

In ancient lands, where kings did reign,

A simple tax, a farmer's gain.

A portion of the harvest stored,

To fill the coffers, feed the lord.

Bartered goods, the wealth of grain,

Paid in kind, no gold to gain.

The tax was light, yet still it grew,

As kingdoms spread, and empires knew.

The markets thrived, the coins were pressed,

A new demand within the chest.

For roads were built, and wars were waged,

The taxman's hand was fully engaged.

The nobles grumbled, peasants cried,

As levies grew and widened wide.

A penny here, a shilling there,

To fund the crown, its weight to bear.

Then time moved on, the world transformed,

Revolutions, new laws informed.

The tax evolved, became more fair,

With progress came the duty to share.

Income, property, and trade,

Each a part of the taxman’s blade.

The burden spread, the wealth was shared,

In every coin, a future paired.

Now governments, both near and far,

Collect the tax to guide the star.

For schools and health, for roads and aid,

In every tax, a plan is laid.

Yet still the voices rise in plea,

For simpler ways, for liberty.

The tax evolves, as time demands,

In every age, in every land.

From barter’s birth to digital dawn,

The tax has traveled, ever drawn.

By human need, by common good,

To shape the world as it should.

So as we pay, let’s not forget,

The roads we’ve walked, the lines we’ve set.

For in each tax, a story spun,

Of how we’ve grown, and what we’ve won.