All had been fine with the six that meet, first Tuesday of each month.
All life long friends on different paths, would meet and have some lunch.
All shared their stories and reminisced, as they ate and drank.
But as so oft in life we see, good things will sometimes tank.
These six that meet are very fair, in how they pay their tab.
It all depended on their fortunes – the money that they had.
To keep it fair, they split their bill, like taxes that they pay.
So a sixty dollar bill for lunch, would be paid this way.
Sal was always sad and broke, he never had a dime.
So every month there was no cost, for him to come and dine.
Joe has a job, delivers stuff, sometimes rides a bike.
He paid a dollar for his lunch, and all thought that was right.
Tom drives cross country, eighteen wheeler, earns a good amount.
For the lunch he paid five bucks, a slight but fair discount.
Rick’s a writer, earns good pay, lives in Hollywood;
for each lunch he pays twelve bucks, an amount he thinks he should.
Pete lectures in the Ivy League – professor true and blue.
He gladly pays twelve bucks for lunch, a fair amount that’s due.
And Bob did great in real estate, worth billions – nearly four.
Bob paid thirty bucks for lunch, and he could pay much more.
Six years of Dee Dee’s Deli lunches, before it blew apart.
And all so sad the end occurred, when Dee Dee showed some heart.
She said she wanted them to know, what their business meant,
so henceforth every bill was cut, by twenty-five percent.
Hhmmm – what to do, with fifteen dollars, how to split it up?
The easy way to make the split, give each that pay – three bucks.
Some quickly saw that wouldn’t work, even Joe agreed!
get paid two bucks to eat your lunch – not fair – it’s more than free.
Dee Dee heard their conversation, and offered a solution,
reduce each bill the same percentage, as their contribution.
So now there’s two, both Sal and Joe, who will not pay for lunch.
And Tom will pay three bucks not five, it’s something but not much.
Rick pays nine instead of twelve, Pete also pays three less.
And seven dollars goes to Bob, a relative largesse.
But as they left, trouble brewed – their thoughts they start to share –
each one began, to calculate, their savings to compare.
Tom felt duped, it wasn’t fair – 2 dollars was his share –
that Bob received way too much, it didn’t seem quite fair.
Rick and Pete yelled 15 bucks, be split between them all –
or – they said they’d write a book of greediness and gall.
Then Sal cried out – he wants something – in the final deal,
exploitation of the poor is rotten and it’s real!
Bob had to run, just paid the tab, amidst conflicting views;
so all agreed to argue more – when next months bill came due.
Next month arrived, again they met, to Dee Dee’s they all came.
Except for Bob, who lunched in Caen, the group thought that was lame.
They had their lunch, got their bill, then tried to comport –
each one paid what each thought fair – and were thirty dollars short.
(The Random Poet:041817
www.therandompoet.com)