bottom feeding

how much to paper
this room
the man says on the phone.
you can hear him
going through
his list of names,
writing on
a pad.
you tell
him, roughly,
what it would cost.
can you do it for
less he says.
I have bids
for less.
no, you tell him.
but, he says, it's
a small room.
only four walls,
a sink,
a door a window.
a shower.
hardly any walls
at all.
can you do it cheaper.
the others say
they can do it
for so much less.
no, you tell
him.
okay, he says.
i'll call you back.
which he never does.