No Need for Bitterness

Look, don’t put
yourself out on
my account. If

you can’t pay
me a living wage
or the minimum

wage or any wage
at all, don’t worry
about it, be happy

cause it’s all the
same groove,
whether the road

to riches beyond
imagination or the
wheel of bone

breaking poverty
beyond conception,
it doesn’t matter.

This is, after all,
the American dream
and dreams are

often nightmares.
That’s the way it is,
so pay me whatever

you want to or don’t
pay me a plug nickel
but, please, do me

a favor and take your
fucking boot from off
my bleeding neck.

Paul Lojeski's poetry has appeared in journals and online. He’s also the author of the satiric novel, The Reverend Jimmy Pup. He lives with his wife and daughter in Port Jefferson, NY. Read other articles by Paul.