(for a conservative amendment to TANF, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families)

For the intrepid volunteer

Who ventures forth in all weathers,

Wet and cold and drear,

Helping those with draggled feathers,

Something simple to repair,

With neither motor, gas, nor gear,

An 18^th century sedan chair

Providing jobs out in fresh air.

Alternative to welfare,

For those at end of tethers,

Such innovation would make clear

The heavy burdens that they bear.

When price of food is much too dear,

And there is no clear solution,

This modest proposal might ward off

The need for revolution.

[More poems by alumnae]