on being a poet 6

 been selling poems all day for 1 dollar on the street corner 

SUV pulls up full of highschool boys 

the window rolls down and one says here i wrote a poem for you, 1 dollar!

curious, i give him a dollar and he hands me a crumpled piece of paper 

i open it up and there’s.….jizz inside

they all cackle and peel out 

that was my only dollar!

i chase them and grab a rock from the ground 

but instead of hurling it at them 

i just smash it into my face 

falling into the ground in the middle of the intersection 

another vehicle stops 

it’s an old man 

are you okay? he asks

will u please buy a poem, i say, 1 dollar

uh...well...sure... he says handing me a dollar 

hand him the crumpled piece of paper

and he opens it up

....well, he says. better than the one i bought off you last week

and i cry