for what's in a buck but the sweat

(a revised variation of a prior post
with a note of thanks to all who helped,
'thank you my friends'.)


for what's in a buck but the sweat
of buyer and purveyor alike, bill-folded
otherwise denominated?

actors act
characters sweet or vile
while agents are paid characteristically well

beyond sustenance’s minimal mandate,
when exchanged pound for pound they come out
ahead and then
some.

buyers are mere bargain hunters, the cheaper
the better is what they tell themselves
as they pound

pavements while sellers net
in hand make advances for wares arrayed
in ways nefarious or transparent
only in semblance.