poem
Decay of Coin
12 March 2026
I awoke in silence, pressed in leather walls
A prisoner in a wallet’s breathless halls
My face was masked by others weight
And the wheat etched on me began to desiccate He drew me out to ease his load
A thickened wallet’s heavy road
Unknowing, he had set me free
My wheat could breathe, my soul could be But hands returned, no freedom stayed
For change was counted, debts were paid
I slid again into a pocket deep
Where clutter crushed me in its heap A sudden slip, a careless shake
I felt the open air awake
I tumbled down with a ringing sound
And spun in circles on the ground I bounced, I rolled upon the street
My spinning song both sharp and sweet
But fate was harsh, one final swerve
I dropped into the sewer’s curve Among the stench, the filth, the grime
I found at last a taste of time
Though my wheat was fading, torn, unclean
I whispered: At least I’m free, though unseen A child, in search of play’s delight
Peered down and saw my humble light
Small fingers reached, I rose once more
Rescued from that sewer’s floor He traded me for candy sweet
His joy complete, my circle neat
Yet I, returned to iron jaws Lay in a cashbox, bound by laws
The boy was smiling, I could see
And so I keep enduring, quietly