Today it’s going to cost us twenty dollars 

今天我们花二十块钱

To live. Five for a softball. Four for a book, 

就可以生活。五块买一个垒球。四块买一本书，

A handful of ones for coffee and two sweet rolls, 

一把一块的硬币换来咖啡和两个甜面包卷，

Bus fare, rosin for your mother’s violin. 

车票，还有给你妈妈的小提琴上的松香。

We’re completing our task. The tip I left 

For the waitress filters down 

我们的任务还没完成。我留给

Like rain, wetting the new roots of a child 

服务员的小费像雨水一样

Perhaps, a belligerent cat that won’t let go 

过滤下来，滋润一个孩童

Of a balled sock until there’s chicken to eat. 

或是一只不到有鸡肉吃的时候就不放开袜子球的好斗猫咪的

As far as I can tell, daughter, it works like this: 

幼嫩的根。

You buy bread from a grocery, a bag of apples 

From a fruit stand, and what coins 

据我所知，女儿，生活就这样运转：

Are passed on helps others buy pencils, glue, 

你在百货店买面包，在水果店

Tickets to a movie in which laughter 

买一袋苹果，你花出去的硬币

Is thrown into their faces. 

就帮别人买了铅笔、胶水、

If we buy a goldfish, someone tries on a hat. 

电影票，那部电影

If we buy crayons, someone walks home with a broom. 

叫他们发笑。

A tip, a small purchase here and there, 

And things just keep going. I guess.

如果我们买一条金鱼，就有人可以试一顶帽子。

我们买蜡笔，就有人可以在回家路上添一把扫把。

一笔小费，这里那里买一点东西，

大家的生活就这样维持下去。我想是这样吧。