Would you pay a penny for a poet's rhyming words,
That sent your soul up soaring in the heav'ns among the birds?
Or the beauty of the artist who had captured morning's light,
Painting a young mother who has nursed a child all night? 
And don't forget the music that inspires, calms or thrills, 
Took hours and hours of practice just to master simple trills.

So please do not insult us and demean a pricelesswork work,
With worthless bits of copper tossed with pity in your look.
The slighting little tokens meant to ease your inner shame
Are little more than insults to the craftsman and his name.

If it only stirs a pennyworth of joy inside of your heart,
Keep your token payment and in silence please depart.
But if it stirs much more than that - find pleasure in the gift,
That they have bestowed on you to inspire or lift.