Day 19 #napowrimo - day 13 #the100dayproject - E Pluribus Unum - Out of Many, One

I had a lot of fun writing this one...

E Pluribus Unum - Out of Many, One

They only show themselves

when I’m least expecting it;

I can’t search for them,

they’ll know and hide themselves

between the cracks of the sidewalk

or under the shade of dandelion leaves.

But when I come upon them,

I know something good

will happen, and that good

always arrives in threes.

They are the forgotten ones

their rough edges ground into

concrete or asphalt, grit and dirt,

obscuring our dear Lincoln.

A great president run over

by car tires, stepped on,

spit on, left behind,

dropped, and tossed.

Not worth the effort

of bending over and wedging

a fingernail underneath

to lift one cent up.

What is a penny worth

except the confirmation

of my superstition.

Picture me slathering

my collection with hand

sanitizer when I get home

from my walk, all of the

green blooming on his face;

more corrosion than

he ever had to handle

of corruption in his lifespan.

How hard he worked

to gather our broken

pieces into his hands.

And now look, all of his labor

disregarded, undone,

with the sweep

of a fake coppertoned hand.