﻿I Might Suggest 
By T-B-S. 
 
I 
If drinking makes the poor man poor— 
And makes the rich one rich; 
One cannot designate for sure— 
Just, which of these. . . is which. 
 
II 
And. . . if my premise isn’t right 
That drinking brings the plunder— 
Or that operates to blight, 
And drive the poor one under— 
 
III 
‘Tis then, I find that what they do 
Leaves matters in a murk. 
(I may as well presume it through) 
They’re poor. . . because they work. 
 
IV 
Lies somewhere in thius land of gloom 
The gentle art of seizure. 
Yet, I would just as soon assume— 
They’re rich because of leisure. 
 
V 
And. . . though I hold—the drunken rich 
Exploit the sober poor. . . 
I am not keyed up to the pitch 
—To cast a slur on lure. . .  
 
VI 
Were I, so much as to assert, 
They’re rich because they idle; 
The plutes would roll me in the dirt— 
Or sue me for a libel.  
 
VII 
Intoxicated—of the best 
Or drunk of Fusel Oil— 
The men of wealth are those who rest— 
The poor—are those who toil—