POEM - The Retraction (Pennies, Pennies Everywhere)

I wrote a lovely poem

All about my fun mom

Then at dinner

My daughter said something

That brought back the painful memories

Of the parts that weren’t so fun

The daughter said she wanted to pay for something

All in pennies

I told her it wasn’t as fun as you’d think

And the memory was right there

That time we needed milk

On a random summer day

And she sent me to the store

With a bag of pennies

I protested

Vehemently

To no avail

And then I took that stupid bag of pennies

And went to the stupid store

And bought the stupid milk

And sat there counting out stacks of 10

And grumbled the whole way home

How could a mother

Look into the disappointed eyes

Of an innocent twelve year old

And force him out the door?

It’s legal tender

Were the words that rung in my ears

Legal tender this!

Is what I should have said

Except I just thought of it now

And it’s 30 years too late

So I will just have to learn the lesson

And be glad the gallon of milk

Was under a dollar back then

And for her birthday she’s getting cash

Forty dollars or so

All in pennies

See what you think of legal tender now

Dear old mom