i was eight years old
when i learned
what money means
when i learned that people go without
while i, like many others
have much
it was when my father and i
walked the streets of San Antonio
when a poor Mexican girl asked to sing us a song
her father stood half way down the block
wearing torn and tattered clothes
while his daughter wore a pretty black and crimson embroidered dress
she sung something beautiful
in a language i didn't know
i listened and smiled
and my father cried
after she finished
he reached into his pocket
and pulled out his leather billfold
handed me a five dollar bill
i handed her the money
and said how much i enjoyed her singing
and the girl said gracias
and curtsied
from that point on, i never asked my father for another cent.
