I Must Save Money! Poem by Denis Martindale

When life was almost at an end,
The old man looked ahead,
Without a sweetheart, wife, child, friend,
A lonesome life he led...
So all the money that he had
Was counted once again,
Once added up, he felt quite sad,
With bills beyond his ken...

So he sat down, of course and prayed,
Begged favours from the Lord,
Yet nothing came as months delayed
With no sign of reward...
So at his bills he stared and stared,
Then cancelled what he could,
For others, prices were compared
With changes that felt good...

So while he kept the Internet
And phone and TV, too,
Downgrading brought him some regret,
But still he struggled through...
In time, he halved his weekly bills,
By haggling charges down,
Till Winter came with all its chills
And caused that man to frown...

So wrapped in blankets while at home,
Less central heating used,
Less time to leave his house to roam
Sure left him unamused...
No Christmas presents to and fro,
No Christmas tree at all,
Nowhere to go because of snow
And no-one chose to call...

So New Year came, increasing cold,
With three months as before,
Yet far less money now to hold,
Life turned into a chore...
But on he went, from day to day,
By faith and faith alone,
That God would hear him should he pray
And even should he moan...

When Summer came, the old man died,
Nobody gave a damn,
He felt he had been crucified,
A sacrificial lamb...
The Government had crushed his heart,
His dignity they stole,
Yet on the last day, life to part,
They could not steal his soul...


Denis Martindale, copyright, January 2014.