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LITERARY NOOK
Virtues and Vices: Cost and Prices
Frugality is the Mother of All Virtues
“Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. waste nothing.”
—Benjamin Franklin, The Thirteen Virtues
In Latin ‘frugalis’ means virtuous, in French ‘thrifty’
wise man Lao Tzu said frugality makes one generous
spend a dollar less a day in two months it’ll be fifty
cutting coupons is neither miserly nor onerous
being frugal is not a reason to be ashamed
figure out how to be a poor man with lots of money
eating a frugal meal keeps you in good health
then gout from rich foods cannot be blamed
Chinese say frugality will bring moderate wealth
frugal living can assure many days will stay sunny
maintain a strong stance on staying with quality
avoid banality and inequality face fiscal reality
Plato said long before Nero picked up his fiddle,
“the greatest wealth is to live content with little.”
A Wasteful Wastrel
A wandering wastrel I, a thing of bling dispatches
here there and everywhere I spend all my money
my buddy spends every bit of spare change he catches
money flows in and out on rainy days and sunny
I lost plenty on a riverboat between Cairo and Natchez
then went bankrupt and came up short and bet my car
borrowed more and lost all on eight cockfight matches
two days ahead who knows what tomorrow may bring
how does that old saying go? eat drink and be merry…
fortune may bring windfall profits and plenty of bling
I keep spending and see what burden of debt I can carry
using credit lines and savings forget the penny pinching
a penniless spendthrift, a profligate, pecuniary prodigal
a life of luxury, extravagance both wanton and wasteful.
Joey ‘Pepe Batbon’ Connolly (Special to the Saipan Tribune)
Joey aka Pepe Batbon is a retired educator who taught in the CNMI, NOLA, and LVNV. He is a sonnet practitioner who enjoys stargazing.
