Dave Bonta's "Charity case" is a small, strange poem about feeling like an unearned guest in the world. The speaker begins by saying they are here "by chance," as if existence were an accident, and then adds that they have been "ancient and in the way." That second line sounds like someone who feels old, unwanted, or simply surplus, taking up space that others might need.
The last stanza turns to payment, but the currency is odd. The speaker pays for a "river of nothing," for "any how," for "no work," and does it "with one mad eye." The language suggests a person settling a debt that can't be named, for something that has no clear shape or purpose. The title adds to this: being a "charity case" means receiving help you haven't earned.
The mood is wry, uneasy, and a little wild. There is humility here, but also a flicker of defiance in that one staring, mad eye, which seems to see clearly even while the speaker feels out of place.