Homeless club kids
living on rice, beans
and Gitanes.

All day he forces them
to strip
paint,

sand hutches
and stain armoires
to the music of Billie Holiday.

Outdoors, under a tarp
even in rain.
All this they gladly do
without complaint

for how else
will the owner
know whose love
of antiques is true

and who's a fake —

which urchin
to take
to his ancient
mahogany sleigh bed

and which to make
curl up in
the Morris chair.