Once my friend’s mom made me a lunch

Never had I ever felt so very touched

Simple gestures go such a long way

Especially when it’s by such surprise

 

Smiling and carrying it proud

For a minute I was rich inside

Fresh strawberries meant not living

On a free sawdust school lunch that day

 

A rich boy in our grade, he once said:

“All the screwed up, dumbass kids…

they live off the government—

free food cause’ their guardian is

addicted to all kinds of drugs.”

 

I took a bite of my nutritional lacking pizza

It tasted of nothing but $4.25 worth of shame

I’m somewhat smart and get average grades

It’s not my fault mom’s tired and society’s warped

 

I watched my friend as shook her head right along

As I sat there, experiencing some messed up thoughts

But, my fist to his face couldn’t make him see straight

Some use government money to their advantage, but not me 

 

Sure, there’s the wealthy, poor, and the middle class

You’d never know, my matriarchal family falls far below the line

And you see, her family made me feel better than I am

Than I thought I could ever be— thank you, leading industry.

 

I changed myself cause my wallet is not deep enough

And I want to know what it is like to host Christmas parties

Her room and closet are the good kind of never-ending

I’m lucky I own a laptop and pair of clean leggings

 

As I worked in school, I grew quite bitter

Especially when my mom cried out, “You have more money than me”

Money buys you the things you think you need, but usually don’t

Also friends, because you can finally afford going to the movies

 

Envy in my brain snapped on my sweet, old friend

And there’s no yellow speed-bumps where I have to live

Instead occasional gunshots and cops all the time

With fear as I race to my car, leaving house at night

 

And her home will never be my house

But when I was there, I really did feel at home

She has family dinners; they talk and laugh

My mom throws me a dollar as I ask, “Fast-food?”

 

And my mom and dad love me and treat me pretty well

But it’s nothing like two parents under one roof

Four siblings that really understand one another

Like heaven, no slammed doors or violent shouting

 

The one football game I went to sophomore year— we lost

Mom would never drive me cause it wasted all her gas

Nor let me leave our house with the snug shorts I owned

And I have to know, at what cost did “missing-out” sell for?

 

A million stairs doesn’t make you any happier

But a stable job and paid bills can go a long way

It can stop the nagging and put new sneaks on your feet

I realize with extra money there isn’t as much yelling

 

No sum of money could fix the government or my corrupted mind

I never meant to burden other families with discomfort or harm

I’m better than I was, but financially, I am broker than ever

And I would just like to thank her mom for the lunch and love.