The Rich Man and the Beggar

From down the road the beggar ran
To catch up with the wealthy man
Because the coin he knew he’d give
Would help the lowly beggar live.
And the man was hard but the beggar had a plan.
 
The hungry beggar knew about
The man’s disdain for any lazy lout
So he’d perform his feats of magic
That would be beautiful and tragic
Then well earned payment would be his without a doubt.
 
He told the man not to interfere,
As he drew a gold coin from his ear.
The man demanded it be returned
The beggar felt it had been earned
Let me keep it and I will gladly disappear.
 
If you would deprive me of my wage,
You will ignite my righteous rage,
And then you’ll learn the price you’ll pay,
Will change around our lives today
Then each of us will write the other’s page.
 
But the man would hear none of that,
He grabbed the coin from where it sat,
And in a blink there came a switch,
Then he was poor and the beggar rich
And he was thin but the beggar had grown fat.
 
Let this be a lesson my friend,
To no man seek to condescend,
Wealth is found in generosity,
Your worth was what you gave to me,
Now amongst your own kind you are forced to fend.
 
This story the beggar always told,
As he begged coins that the rich would hold,
When he told it right they’d pay him more
But mostly they would just ignore,
As he searched for a man who held a coin of gold.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2011

Poem

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Breidenthal Avatar
November 15, 2011 at 7:02 PM
Awesome story/poem! You are a wonderful poet indeeed! Always, Laura
Wesley Avatar
August 29, 2011 at 4:05 PM
What a riveting story Tony, I love it and th rhyme is impeccable. You capture the imagination and I will be reading all of your great work.
A   Avatar
August 18, 2011 at 9:32 PM
Tony, nice little tale. the beggar seemed to be a slick trickster.. I like the lesson thought here... and yes generosity, is the key... thanks for sharing... LINDA
Brown Avatar
August 3, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Congratulations on your poetry making it through round one in the PoetrySoup International Poetry contest Tony. I wish you the best in the final round. Love, Carol
Lane Avatar
June 28, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Thank you for your kind words. I have a friend named Alan Hall Who has used this poem as lyrics for a song. The song's title is "A Coin of Gold." Please serch it out out and listen to it. Thank you, Tony
Mehta Avatar
June 28, 2011 at 6:21 AM
My congratulations on your poem being featured this week, Tony
Suzadail Jr. Avatar
June 27, 2011 at 6:10 PM
Congrats Tony on your poem being featured. Interesting tale. Vince
Brown Avatar
June 27, 2011 at 5:07 AM
Congratulations on your well written poetry being featured this week Tony. Love, Carol
Brown Avatar
February 18, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Welcome to PoetrySoup Tony. I am sorry for being late to welcome you to the site. I hope to be back and at full speed in the next week or so. Until then please keep writing and sharing your poetry. Love, Carol
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