“A penny saved is a penny earned”.

My mother always told me this

As she handed me a coin-

A beautiful, shiny coin with

‘Happiness’ written across the front,

For I was a big girl

When I could buy a gumball

With my own money-

And she would expect me to

Pretend that I was listening to her voice

When I was really on a far-off cloud,

Dreaming of what I could get with

My brand-new shiny coin.

Ah, the euphoria of the days

When a coin was all I needed to

Make me smile.

For the coin was not just a coin-

No, it could be anything I wanted:

A pile of blackberries-

So deliciously juicy-

Or a new toy-

Perfect in its glory.

Those days went by in a whir,

A whirlwind of peppermint dreams

And ice cream hopes.

How I long for those same times

When a simple, shiny coin

Meant I could buy the world.