The only certainties in life are death and taxes
and change under couch cushions.
Mark has succeeded much better, his bounty
Four-fifty in change, no trifle.
Jean-Martin is short by one-fifty.
They both head over to McDonalds.
Dollar menu: the student’s delight.

Choices, decisions, rumbling stomachs.
Mark heeds his with greater voracity, orders
a bit high for his budget. Leaves with fifty in change,
and four burgers.

Jean-Martin is weighing his options heavily.
Stomach or wallet? He opts for the wallet,
walks away with two burgers and an extra buck to boot.
Enough to satisfy.

The homeless man out on the street named Bob
holds out his hand for merely a trifle:
“A sandwich,” he desires, in simplest terms.
Jean-Martin contributes his dollar to the cause,
Mark keeps his change,

and is still hungry.