PrintPoem – Manhattan Landlord (By Gary Beck)
Manhattan Landlord
I ran a swell restaurant
for many years
on a good block
in Manhattan.
I wasn’t rich,
but made a good living,
paid my workers well
so they were happy
and passed it on to customers.
Then my lease ran out.
The landlord raised the rent,
three hundred percent.
There was no way
I could make money
paying that amount.
I tried to discuss my problem
with the landlord,
but he didn’t care
if I went out of business.
He’d get more money
from the next tenant.
The economy was doing poorly,
except for the rich.
I told the landlord
if he raised the rent that much
I’d have to close my doors.
He didn’t care.
Then I explained
I had twelve employees
who would lose their jobs,
and they had families
dependent on their income.
He didn’t care.
I tried to negotiate,
said I would take home less
if my workers could keep their jobs.
I offered a one hundred percent raise
which would mean
I only broke even,
but my workers would be paid.
He didn’t care.
I did everything I could
to make a deal
that would save the business
so all of us
could earn a living,
but his only response was:
‘That’s your problem’.
He just didn’t care.