Penny
See that penny on the ground,
gleaming copper
flat and round?
Sometimes blackened as if dirt,
lying there,
unobserved.
Some who see it think in fear,
pick up the penny,
you're a queer.
"Queer penny,"
they laugh outloud,
and behind your back.
I think it's more queer
to leave the money
lying there like that.
Copyright © 1997