Tuesday, April 25, 2017
The Dollar
Peg and Barbsy agree
they'll run the beanbag
toss at the neighborhood
picnic.
Barbsy claims to "have a
beanbag here somewhere."
In the garage, no luck,
but Peg spots a dollar
on the floor and sticks
it hastily in her jeans.
The few streets home in
the Subey, she cries.
Tells an imaginary judge
"We were so so poor!"
Then she does the oddest
thing of all. Blots out
her tears with the dollar.
Returns it the the next
day, pretends to find it
on the living room floor.
“Spies” it under her recliner.
"I swear," says Barbsy,
"there's enough loose
money around here to
go to McDonalds. By the
way, thanks for the
beanbag."--ostensible
reason for Peg's visit.
“I just knew I had one,
and when you couldn’t
find yours...?”
The following week at
work, she's awarded a
hundred dollar gift card
to Sonnenberg's.
Buys a pretty blouse.
On the way back,
extracts it from the
candystripe bag she
helped design.
Touches the blouse to
her face as the traffic
light turns Caution.
Labels: beanbag, blouse, childhood poverty, design, money, neighborhood, social, work
