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


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            Emanuel E. García, The Virtues of Calamity, One Hundred Poems2013