If There be Rags Enough

There are things rich people
cannot understand;
not merely the throes of hunger
or the pain of untreated cancers
but things more subtle and thus
more likely to kill, even if slowly.

They don't know that the beat of hearts
beside you at night in a crowded bed
reassures you that all that you care about
are safe within your arms.

They don't know that the reason your spouse
stops talking about her or his day
is not because he or she stopped loving you
but because they can't stand adding to your burden.

They don't know that when your older child
stops talking it's not drugs they are doing -
they are planning their escape
and cannot bear to be forestalled.

They don't know that when you're young
any demagogue
who speaks visions
of a better life is easy to follow
until you're older and tired of following fools.

They don't know that the things
money can't buy
sometimes can't be had
without money.

They don't know that happiness
might be overrated but
hope of it gets you out of bed
in the morning
and drives you to it at night.

If there be rags enough
wisdom is earned
not just learned.

[Title is from Her Praise by William Butler Yeats]