jar full of pennies

jar full of pennies
1/14/2008

It's only a penny,
the grownup, he mumbles,
and walks away counting his dollars.
But we all know better,
the dreamers in us,
the little boys, toddlers, and crawlers.

We study it first,
and then pick it up
for we know the old rhyme and its meaning--
if heads up, it's good luck,
but tails is no worse,
if bright or in need of a cleaning.

It could be a rare one,
some infrequent mint
or an old one with wheat on its rear.
and maybe it's worth
ten thousand or more--
the only one left from its year!

If not, we don't mind
to exchange for a wish
by tossing it into a fountain,
or keep it perhaps
in a jar by our beds
for dreamin' and rollin' and countin'.

In hundreds they add up
in long snaky lines
as landscapes and roads for our Hot Wheels,
or fifty together
roll up nice and neat
to finance unlimited dream deals.

And now I'm all grown up,
I have to admit
that I still make a wish now sometimes,
and next to my desk
sits a jar full of pennies
it's just a small jar
my jar full of pennies
but I wouldn't trade it
my jar full of pennies
for thousands and thousands of dimes.

One of my writing goals for 2008 is to write at least one light verse every week in addition to my haiku wednesday and fiction friday posts. I will try to do this on Mondays.