The Price of Advice A buddy used to give advice To all and sundry who would fork out For the right to disregard his pearls, Fine people that they were But he grew tired of feeding off neglect And set up shop in trinkets proper – Jewels that could grace a neck or wrist, No questions needing answering It didn’t matter that his patrons didn’t know Whether the gems were genuine or not – They were – Until, that is, he tripled what he charged And salved his conscience with This far more honest way to price A fantasy ________________________________________________________________________ Emanuel E. García, The Virtues of Calamity, One Hundred Poems, 2013 |