poem of the day 11.09.12

to my co-worker whom i bought
ten dollars of christmas candy from

that was a magnum bottle of red wine, lady
a six pack of GOOD beer
or three rounds of swill at the local pub
albeit with no tip
that was a pizza lunch for two days
a potato and egg hero on a wheat bun
this week’s copy of iron man, batman, and wolverine
that david ruffin CD i’d had my sights on
a donation to hurricane relief
or a pint of cheap scotch donated to myself
that was the paprika needed to spice up my life
it was gleeful drunken purchasing power on itunes
cat treats by the bushel for the fucking beast
who keeps waking me at three a.m.
fancy coffee or gourmet tea to sooth hungover mornings
a small print of van gogh at the MoMA
a knish and a soda for the wife in central park
vanilla ice cream cones in the cold of brooklyn
two days of bus or train travel
a brand new winter hat or gloves off of a street vendor
halal food with the change leftover for the homeless dude
in washington square park
LAUNDRY MONEY
or a couple of packs of topps football cards
some used books on philosophy from the strand
¼ of a membership to the american freedom from religion foundation
or a subscription to rolling stone
it’s two weeks of the sunday new york times
a movie ticket if i stay away from manhattan
that ten dollars that i gave you
for christmas candy that i won’t even eat
you know, what i call your yearly extortion money
could’ve been any one of those things that i listed
or a bunch of shit that i haven’t even thought of yet
instead of something that i’ll be tossing
in the back of the cabinet
to collect a copious amount of mold
before i throw it away at easter time
next year.