It's Tuesday night and open mike night just 2 blocks away at Club Fred.  The Freds are Fred Flintstone, Fred Astaire, Fred Mertz, etc, all in the mural.  It's only $2 cover and $2 drinks and if you can hang 'til about 10:30 free pizza arrives from Pacifica Pizza, the best around.  It's been months and months since I went over there.  The gal in charge wanted to run some kind of far out beat-nic music behind my poems and just never connected to that.  I thought I'd get in the groove by posting a poem here first.  This one about money seems appropriate for LP.    (wish me luck)

IF YOU'E GOT MONEY

If you've got money

and you're cold

you can start the fire,

you don't save newspaper

for lining your attire.

If you've got money

and you're tan,

it came when you were pool-side,

not waiting for a van,

not from picking peas

or hussling on your knees.

If you're monied

and your ribs show, you're glad,

you spent  a lot on that diet fad.

It's not from fainting hunger

drove you mad.

If you've got money

you've got friends

not because they like you

it's because you're twins.

If you've got money

but should lose it

thus and so--

visit the poor.

They will take you in--

because

they know.                                              (aka TA)