i met an old beggar
with tin cup in hand
i pulled up some sidewalk
to give a listen in

felt the need to ask him
which way the wind blows
he said yes, was that a clue to
give my tongue a rest

he seemed to me to blinked a lot
i'm thinking now of morse code
as the pigeons gathered round him
like they were in the know

just then a child of twenty
tossed a coin into his can
it landed heads with that he said
that makes a hundred grand

as he tipped his hat and said that's that
pulling out a peppermint
before he popped it in his mouth he looked around
brushing off a speck of lint

he looked at me, said this ones for free
try not to get lost
when ordering chinese take out
make sure it's in a box
with that he winked and then walked off