out in the cold

your bills
pile up like
large flakes
of snow on the black
table. so you sit
down with pen
and check book,
stamps and enevelopes
to grind them out.
you have
been so prudent
and responsible
for so many years.
telling others
of your high
number. your credit
report gleams
with fisical
responsibility.
no late fees,
no finance charges.
you've refinanced
your mortgage
to an all
time historic
low. you've done
everything
the right way.
obeyed the rules
of the financial
road. and yet you
fear the day
when you may
be out in the cold
in a box behind
the liquor store
clutching a book
of poems.