Ceteris Paribus

My curves are upward sloping,

Directly proportional to the price.

The quantity of love that I supply,

Has a coefficient of one, not thrice.

I could say it’s price inelastic,

You’ll get as much as you always have.

I could lie through my teeth and flutter my lids,

And act like your season’s flav.

But I’ll be honest as honest can be,

And respect the opportunity cost of your time.

You may think we’re both complements.

Burst your bubble, will this rhyme.

The competition in this marketplace,

Is perfect with strong form efficiency.

While you may think you hold a monopoly,

The entry barriers are open, as is the vacancy.

The marginal utility of what we shared,

Has diminished to quadrant three.

The equilibrium in our chemistry,

I no longer can see!

The indifference curve that you have plot,

May be invisible to your own eyes.

But I’ve had enough of your time-rationing,

So here’s your pareto optimum in disguise.

The cross-income elasticity of my love,

Has been under the wraps for a while.

The consumer surplus that I wished to save,

Has been found across the Nile.

Your costs have all just sunk,

The capacity stagnates like a blot.

What used to be a candlestick,

Is now an untailed boxplot.

My preference for a differentiated product,

May be termed as Game Theory No. 2.

Only if the beloved “ceteris paribus”,

Could apply to our “love you’s” too.

Image Source: robert-h-frank.com