Lucky Dollar

Emptying a pocketful of change,

I count the silver out, gold in,

Two's and one's I rearrange,

Anticipate a coffee break.

But one remains -

A 'Donation Dollar' coin,

'Give to the needy', it reads,

The first I've seen that feeds

The gift of charity,

Directing in bold type

With utter clarity

Where to make the sale.

The spending it is easy,

So many cups and bowls,

Bedding, bewildered faces,

Doorways, arches, places

Where none should rest,

But must reside.

We put them there you know-

As if to hide an

All too-bitter truth,

The people of the gaps,

Long fallen through.

That this bright coin, perhaps

Tossed blithely in a cup

Surrendered to a blanket,

Or a shoe,

Might remedy the guilt,

Might even do.