You're the only ones who dare stand where you do
In the cracks and crevices of the world
You are not afraid
Of subways at night,
hot parking lots,
the filth of supermarket floors,
sewers and pipes,
lint-filled pockets,
forgotten piggy banks (a gift from Aunt Alice),
of cupholders and dashboards and the space between the seats,
of the dark and close beneath sofa cushions,
of washers and dryers.
You are not afraid to
Be thrown in the toll way baskets,
Tossed in a hobo's cup,
Trashed with the lunch trays,
Stepped on by important people,
Picked up for luck (for better or worse),
Dirtied by car tires and
Dripped on by oil,
Cleaned again by rainwater,
Covered in oxidized blue-green,
Smothered by leather wallets,
Hidden in ladies' purses,
Sat on and strangled in the pockes of blue jeans,
and Handed between strangers
Dumped in a register.
Others do not see you-- the waste of copper and zinc.
But some see the promise of increments.
You're the only ones who dare stand where you do,
In the cracks and crevices of the world.
My cousin is infamous for throwing loose change into the garbage because it takes up space in his pocket and is unworthy of the same attention attributed to paper bills. He is indifferent towards the reality that when pennies, nestled in a jar, accumulate to be a hundred strong, they produce a dollar. I was especially reminded of him upon reading "Others do not see you--the waste of copper and zinc. But some see the promise of increments." Despite his slight monetary ruthlessness, he is a good man.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is super bad ass.
ReplyDeleteI like how you picked an object that doesn't really get attention and created a clever depiction of it's uses. I don't know if you know but there's talk about making the penny obsolete, so I think it's due time it got it's props for the neglect it experiences.
I was waiting for you to have a line about how pennies are thrown into wishing wells - kind of going along with the picking them up for good luck idea.
I personally find pennies to me currency's unsung hero. My cousin has a fear of coins; I want to send this to her.
ReplyDeleteI love how you capitalized the actions that the penny (or pennies) go through as well, and list poems have a special place in my heart. You make me want to write a billion of them! But none will be as good as this; you make the little penny sound so real! Cant wait to read more!
You have epitomized how much people butcher change. It is all so very true. I almost feel sorry for the poor little pennies. This poem makes me want to gather all the change I have sitting in my room and go to one of those CoinStar machines.
ReplyDeletei like the idea of depicting something as heroic that is simultaneously perceived--at least in our day in age--to be nearly worthless. the personification of a penny and its bravery allows us to travel with it and experience a world that is known to us, yet at the same time still foreign. your tone throughout the piece i also found particularly striking.
ReplyDeleteA strong draft, and evoked good comments. I'd consider adding something about wishing wells or fountains, maybe stealing "currency's unsung heroes." I'm not sure about bookending the poem and might see how it reads with the couplet just in the end. I'd also consider trying this in third person: "The penny..." instead of the direct address "You..." The second person puts the reader in the sometimes awkward position of the voyeur eavesdropping on the speaker addressing the "you.".
ReplyDelete