Pennies on the Carpet

When I was younger the carpet was soft and blue

And once a year I took my piggy bank from the shelf

All full and heavy in my tiny fingers

And I dumped the whole thing out

All the silver and copper and blue

I sorted them by coin in little piles

and then I made pictures

like some kind of capitalist pointillism

I took up the floor

I took up space

I put down the coins

and I liked putting them in place

When all was done

the picture stared

Nickel eyes 

copper hair

And I put the girl back in the bank

She paid for my nintendo ds

and a college credit probably

And she gives the dunkin donuts girls tips

Now the carpet is rust colored and feels like it too,

And the piggy bank is never full

The only thing that's heavy is my body

and I still feel like a capitalist 

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

capitalism does not cure the ills of the heart...and the richer we seem to get financially, the poorer we become in so many other ways...and that carpet isn't as comfortable now as it was when we were young.

i really like this poem

j.