it's always the same,
the old shell game:

here's the stack
i give to the tax man;

here's the pile
for Master Card;

here's the check
i will pay to the energy folks;

and here's what's left
for me.

it's always the same,
the old shell game:

no matter how
i move them around,
switching them back and forth
as quickly as i can,
the stacks, the piles,
the checks
remain the same.

i honestly want
to give you what is yours,
Generous God,
but can I -

when it's only
a game to em
and not
a way of life?

Amen.

(c) 2005 Thom M. Shuman