File, and the world files with you

These are difficult times for tax preparers. Changes in Treasury Department rules have made it an especially tricky tax season, with lower refunds taking many Americans by surprise. That’s led preparers to stock up on chocolate and painkillers—both for unhappy clients and for themselves.

WSJ

File, and the world files with you.

Pay, and you pay alone;

for accountants dumb confuse the sum,

and your refund is mere bone.

*

Appeal, and the lawyers love you.

Lose, and the IRS

will give you grief without relief

as they laugh at your distress.

*

Save, and the banks still cheat you.

Spend, and your bills will mount

until the fees begin to squeeze

with nary a kind discount.

*

Loaf, as I do with poesy.

Everyone leaves me alone.

Because I'm broke, I'm just a joke --

but I'm still on my shabby throne.