Humble black turtleneck sweaters
And spare unheated rooms
With the Kama Sutra, a few madrigals, and
Great literature and philosophy.
Once I considered money
Something to be against
On the grounds that
Credit cards.
Installment-plan buying.
And a joint checking account
Could never coexist with
Great literature and philosophy.
Once I believed
That the only kind of marriage I could respect
Was a spiritual relationship
Between two wonderfully spiritual human beings
Who would never argue about money
Because they would be too busy arguing about
Great literature and philosophy.
I changed my mind
Having discovered that
Spiritual is hard without the cash
To pay the plumber to unstop the sink
And pay a lady to come clean and iron
So every other Friday I can think about
Great literature and philosophy.
No one ever offers us a choice
Between the Kama Sutra and a yacht.
We’re always selling out for diaper service
And other drab necessities that got ignored in
Great literature and philosophy.
A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou
No longer will suffice. I must confess
My consciousness is frequently expanded
By MasterCard. American Express, and things undreamed of in
Great literature and philosophy.
I saw us walking hand-in-hand through life.
But now it’s clear we really need two cars.
I looked with such contempt at power mowers,
But now, alas, that power mower’s ours.
It seems I’m always reaching for my charge plates,
When all I’d planned to reach for were the stars.
Great literature and philosophy.