Buyers and Sellers

What is a man worth?
What can he do?
What is his value?
On the one hand those who buy labor,
On the other hand those who have nothing
      to sell but their labor.
And when the buyers of labor tell the
      sellers, "Nothing doing today, not a
      chance!" --then what?

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by Carl Sandburg, 1963

City Number

The soiled city oblongs stand sprawling.
The blocks and house numbers go miles.
Trucks howl rushing the early morning editions.
Night-club dancers have done their main floor show.
Tavern trios improvise "Show me the way to go home."
Soldiers and sailors look for street corners, house numbers.
Night watchmen figure halfway between midnight and breakfast.
Look out the window now late after the evening that was.
        On a south sky of pigeon-egg blue
        Long clouds float in a silver moonbath.

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by Carl Sandburg, 1963