Selfish Generosity

 

You stop to help, no second thought,
A minute spared, without an ought.
For underneath your kind reply
There’re deeper whys that multiply.

 

We like the feel of knowing more,
An expert in the local lore.
Their need for us, their grateful tone,
We feel the power, we’re on a throne.

 

It’s not just kind—it’s extra bliss,
A moment clean, no risk, no twist.
You give a thing that costs you naught,
And feel that power we all have sought.

 

We need not be a goodly saint,
To feel our worth without constraint.
The best of good is not self-loss—
It’s shared delight that bears no cost.

 

We’re hosts, we shine, we know the streets,
They need our map, we feel replete.
It’s not some moral toll we pay,
It’s how we like to dance and play.

 

A fleeting bond, a swift rapport,

No weight to bear, no need for more.

Just one bright spark, we get to shine

A moment shared with power benign.

 

We need not be a goodly saint,
To feel our worth without constraint.
The best of good is not self-loss—
It’s shared delight that bears no cost.