the art of giving

sometimes i
give a dollar or two, even
a five
to the man or woman
standing on
the corner with a sign
saying god bless,
veteran,
homeless and bereft.
rarely does it say bereft,
but it rhymed
so i'm using that word.
occasionally
they are limping, or
feigning a limp,
but neatly clothed,
and well coiffed.
again, coiffed is used here
only because
it's the first word
that came into my mind.
so I give
a dollar or two, but not
always.
sometimes i'm feeling a
little perturbed
and silently say get a job
you bum. keeping the windows
rolled up
while I drink my
five dollar cup of coffee.
life is hard for everyone
I think,
then my catholic guilt
kicks in
and i make a vow
to give
to the next one.