bright shiny penny laying on the hard pavement
waiting to be picked up, held in a hand, granting
a wish to be chosen, close your eyes, wait and see
what comes next, for a chance, a penny payment

sunshine, glowing on the copper glint and sparkles
like a four leaf clover, found at the bottom of the hill
perhaps, in a garden lawn with the stream meandering
nearby, holding secrets from centuries of droplets

a park where children romp and play, toss colored balls
crying or laughing, or silence, sucking a thumb, watching
the older children shove and push, twirl around, amidst
never seeing, missing that shiny penny laying so close by

what pocket did that penny fall from in walking, a loss
from a fistful of change, counted in a rush to reach
a destination further ahead, unnoticed tinkling as it fell
a bounce or two, a twisting as it landed at, on heads

purveyor of a mischance coming? a hint of fate in the offing?
of a choice soon to be made without the benefit of that coin
in a toss of heads or tails, long acquired folklore knowledge
to flip a coin for destiny, karma to take the lead, decision

as Fate laughs offstage

Categories: Poetry