Waitress
"Good, now my baby has more lunch money," said Tracie to herself as she picked up the five dollar bill her customer left on the table. "All I need now is money for the electric bill." She owed a past due balance of thirty-two dollars. Her paycheck had already been spent on rent and a few other household expenses.
Tracie eyed the clock. The dinner rush would be underway soon. She hoped to pay a few more bills, get more lunch money for her son, and maybe have some extra cash to treat herself. It was a matter of the dance between herself and the patrons going well.
"Good evening," she would say with a smile. "Can I offer you something to drink?"
If the customers looked up at her that was a good sign. They would leave a tip. If they smiled at her, it would be a bigger tip. If she thought of something funny to say and they laughed, then the tip might actually be worth the time she spent on her aching feet.
Anything for a buck.
You are Very Kind—
Truly paper rules my Life
Its tooth & texture
I have loved—
as a maker of
scrap paper
on which
I scratch up
loose leaf
and rhyme;
A strange filigree
front & back
inscribed
on a crumple of
ever changing time.
I am towed
by the lines
of this paper trail
which my own wind
scatters without fail &
Should you find a dollar
—you are very kind!
No need to ask at all—
Fold it like an origami dove
and cache it as a Sign
amid important docs
for some crucial
future moment
in ordinary time.
Keep it—
I assure you
it isn't one of mine.
#WhatDoesADollarMeanToYou #Challenge #FreeVerse
Value
The years echoed
In the voices
Of my grandparents
When they recalled
"I remember when
Five cents bought..."
It was my cost
For the quarter
They gave to me
"Remember when
Gas was less than...?"
Dad would remark
To mom, before
Handing me my
Weekly allowance
Seventy five cents
Which I spent
Thirsty for
Heartthrob news
On "Teen Magazine"
Quarters
Change
Times
Change