Something For Nothing

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excellent poem!

Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by AsIf on Tuesday, July 03, 2012 (15:47:06)

Hello ravingbeauty. I thank you for the read and the compliment.


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All good points, my friend. As George W. Bush might say, there's a heap of truthyness in this here poem. You got quite close to a palpable poetic rhythm, as well... Cheers, Mary Ann

Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by AsIf on Tuesday, July 03, 2012 (15:48:06)

Hello Mary Ann. Gotta love those Bush-isms. Thank you very much for the comment.


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thats the pepper...sweet write...full of rhyme and sage wisdom

Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by AsIf on Wednesday, July 04, 2012 (13:10:45)

Thank you Rondo. It's a law of the universe. Take care.


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I remember a fine saying I heard years ago: Nobody gets something for nothing unless somebody gets nothing for something. Your poem seems to be saying the same thing. Nice and concise and to the point.

Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by AsIf on Thursday, July 05, 2012 (13:06:18)

Ozy, that is perfect. Thanks for noting it.


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You've put a great deal in this poem. You win some, you lose some, while maintaining a balanced structure. (within the idea of exchange)
Just one question:

"and something for nothing will never be real
for everything comes with a cost."

If a person gets something and then loses something, because they bought a store bought item, (loss of money, for example), then how is it not real, because "for everything comes with a cost" is stated? I thought that "for everything comes with a cost" was saying that you have to lose some when you buy an item. The other person gains from it, as Rory was saying. And it's true that if a person gets something for nothing, the part that turned into nothing went to another person. Isn't the idea of "and something for nothing", "for everything comes with a cost," and "a gain means that something is lost" saying the same thing? You deny "something for nothing" because of "everything comes with a cost" which I thought sharing the same principle.

I understood the meaning of the poem. This part left me curious.

Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by AsIf on Sunday, August 19, 2012 (14:11:34)

FF, thank you for the interest. When I stated that "something for nothing will never be real" I meant as a concept.

If I go into a bakery to buy a loaf of bread for one dollar, it is because the bread is worth more to me than the dollar. And the baker accepts the transaction because the dollar is worth more to him than the bread. Yes, it was a fair exchange. But we both had to give up one thing to gain another. This principle applies to all aspects of existence.


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Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by FuchsiaFestival! on Sunday, August 19, 2012 (14:26:43)

This is what I meant about the line why it exists, because there always IS a transaction. An exchange of objects in order to receive the deal you prefer, and this goes for both parties and existence.

What I don't understand is you no longer have the dollar, and it goes to the other person, the one you're paying to. You're saying "something for nothing" will never be real--when you basically receive nothing (when it comes to the money.) You receive no money then, but you get the bread.

As Rory said: nobody gets nothing for something unless somebody gets something for nothing. Doesn't this slightly contradict the way you put it int he poem?

Getting "nothing" doesn't mean you lost everything including the bread and the money, but just the part you're putting into trade would correspond to the idea of nothing for transaction. What I mean by this is, the other person doesn't get both the bread and money as that would be illogical, but just the money. They get the money, you get the bread. They originally had nothing until gained something FOR nothing.

I'm repeating what you just said, but I think it makes sense this way.

And something for nothing will always be real
for everything comes with a cost.

It reads like it should ALWAYS be real, for the reason Rory just said. Nobody gets nothing for something unless somebody gets something for nothing.

The cost is the price you have to pay.


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Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by FuchsiaFestival! on Sunday, August 19, 2012 (14:28:31)

To clarify, you're giving the money to them--you obviously receive the change, but that's different. You lose some and gain some, they gain some and lose some (lose some from the store's perspective).


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Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by AsIf on Monday, August 20, 2012 (16:55:02)

I do not understand the nature of your query. This poem simply posits that the whole concept of "something for nothing" is a fraud and an impossibility in all aspects of existence.


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Re: Something For Nothing (Score: 1 ) by FuchsiaFestival! on Monday, August 20, 2012 (17:18:02)

I'm sorry, maybe I didn't explain myself well.

I'll try to make more sense.

Nobody gets something for nothing unless somebody gets nothing for something

That is what Rory said. You don't get something for nothing UNLESS somebody gets nothing for something.

If you're speaking about nothing generally, where you lose EVERYTHING, then I can see why it wouldn't be possible, because you can't lose it all in an exchange or deal. You have to have a like-balance in exchange. If you're talking about something for nothing in a particular aspect (no money), then it is real, because you have something and nothing (for two different ideas--something the groceries--and nothing--money (you lose some)) and then another person has nothing and something (no groceries but more money--).

a person buys groceries loses money and a person doesn't have groceries and gains money


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