The Parking Meter
(With apologies to Edgar Allan Poe)
One day at a curbside stopping
Where I parked with plans for shopping
At some stores where any purchase
No strapped merchant could ignore;
Economic times are scary
Shoppers with their cash are wary
So customers like me are needed
Bottom lines to help restore;
I'd stop awhile and do some shopping
Shop a bit and nothing more.
But next to where I parked was rooted
A meter for collections suited
A long metallic stem at rest
That bore a high tech marvel crest;
I shrugged and thought t'will merely gobble
Some change, my purpose it won't hobble
With all the coins I had, I thought
This metal monster's easy bought;
I'd feed the thing a coin or two
And then my shopping trip renew.
I reached into my coin filled purse
A little tribute to disburse
This ain't, I thought, a total waste
The city also needs its taste;
But though I pumped coins unabated
This high tech meter wasn't sated
I fed it two, then three, then four
Still squawked the meter: "Feed me more."
My change soon gone I reached for dollars
To quiet its metallic hollers
I fed it Mastercard and Visa
Shouted this should now appease ya;
While none of this did it reject
And even squawked: "I'll take a check"
I begged it let me shop one store
It answered back: "First feed me more."
As I stood there, loose lipped, gawking
I saw the meter's sidekick stalking
With ball point pen and ticket pad
He stood there poised his gouge to add;
I knew that ticket fines were huge
And once wrote there was no refuge
So to my car I quickly raced
I'd no more time or money waste
I'd patronize no local store
And shop in downtown? Never more.
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