Tax Time
It’s coming…
Tax time
Absolutely maddening
Can’t be stopped from happening
The ticking clock and passing days
We’re all rats trapped inside the maze
April 18th is around the corner
Sometimes I wish I was a foreigner
A charging bull of massive proportions
The gangster so in love with extortion
Raging beast that shows no mercy
Makes our lives go topsy-turvy
A constant nagging always reminding
Each day statements keep arriving
Accountants counting
Fears are mounting
Your stomach churning
Throat is burning
Tax time is looming
It’s all consuming
Terms are flying
You feel like crying
Mortgage interest, common interest,
Wages, tips, and other funds
Business write-offs, personal deductions
Some allowed and others none
Numbers flashing, calculators calculating
Dollars, cents, and forms to sign
Carry forward, capital gains
Numbers on the bottom line
But the first hurdle is the worst hurdle
Almost brings your blood to curdle
Every year it’s the slowing gate
Your folder of receipts await
As you sort them out
You want to shout
Organize and categorize
Expenses here, credits there
Memory hesitation
Was this a donation?
Highlighted lines
Things combined
Ask yourself the age-old question
Pull your mind from this depression
Why don’t I ever organize?
Save myself this March surprise
A tidy ledger that lists it all
Every expense, both large and small
But you always say the same old thing
Then the thought just takes a wing
What seems to be a good solution
Flies away like a resolution
The clock is ticking, toes are tapping
Piles are building, no time for napping
As you record and write
It might take all night
1040 boxes checked
Expenses all connect
Gains and losses can be proved
Expenses all approved
There’s a stiffening of your spine
As you sign the bottom line
Filed with a little extra time
Now have a glass of wine
…or two
Additional Reading
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Great rhyming and phrasing, Ralph. This time of year, it is so stressful and frustrating. Well done on this piece.
Thank you Ralph I think we all understand this poem. When I was young and made pennies I didn’t think so much about this Tax issue. Jamie