I'M NO FOOL

I tell those
I try to help
in the patch of hell
I work in
in the Bronx.
They've been in jail,
institutionalized,
or homeless
most of their lives.
I never
lend money,
or give out cigarettes
on the first date,
I say up front.
I wait
until I'm lied to
a few times
before blessing them
with my largess.
They nod,
as if they understood,
and settle
right in
to the old
& comfortable
rhythm.

Norman Savage
Greenwich Village, 2017