just a dollar

you give a dollar
to the bum
on the street.
he shrugs as if to
say, that's it.
that's all you got
for me.
I can't buy
a pint rum with
a dollar.
you understand,
but you just
worked fifty hours
on the night shift.
grinding pieces
of metal into
smaller pieces of
metal.
all you can think
about is going
home, eating
then falling asleep
before that next
day starts.
so the bum gets just
a dollar. you'd
give him more,
but he'd never leave,
would he?
he'd never take
the life that you
have. he's too
smart for that.