Villanelle on Poverty

by Ted Guhl

When you have finally opened the door,
And you are sated with sex each day,
You will not say, "That I was poor".

Instead you'll know that there was more
To a life spent loving day by day,
When you have finally opened the door.

Once you discover what the young ignore -
That romance is not the intimate way,
You will not say, "That I was poor".

You'll see the familiar on the alien shore,
And remember those so far away,
When you have finally opened the door.

And hearing the insistent and passionate roar
Of the dark Macau in the forest at play,
You will not say, "That I was poor".

When you finally delve to heart's deep core,
And find the wealth it gives each day,
When you have finally opened the door.
You will not say, "That I was poor"