A Foolish Man Looks to Save a Little Money

He withholds the dollar 
that pays the researcher 
who pays the grocery store, 
		the gas station, the dry cleaners, the day care. 

This stops the researcher’s work, 
which once generated patents 
and created products 
that were sold 
and bought, 
and saved lives and let the manufacturers and the sellers 
pay the grocery store, 
		the gas station, the dry cleaners, the day care; 

and the patents not generated, 
and the new research not created, 
cannot employ researchers 
who can pay the grocery store 
		the gas station, the dry cleaners, the day care; 

and the grocery store owners, workers, and farmers, 
and the dry cleaner owners, workers, and suppliers, 
and the day care owners, workers, and parents 
who once were free to follow their callings 

can no longer pay the grocery store 
		the gas station, the dry cleaners, the day care—and 

somewhere a magic goose lies eviscerated 
with not a golden egg in sight.

by Gale Naylor