"I BARGAINED WITH LIFE FOR A PENNY"

"I BARGAINED WITH LIFE FOR A PENNY

I bargained with life for a penny,
And life would pay no more,
However, I begged at evening,
When I counted my scanty store.

For life is a just an employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set wages,
Why you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of life,
Life would have willingly paid.

                                                 By Jessie B. Rittenhouse