A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned!
Mr. Franklin "coined" that old saw, "A penny saved is a penny earned!"
I mused upon that fabled adage and for the olden days I yearned.
Then, a penny was worth a cent, but, alas, it ain't no more.
Ah! The myriad of things a penny could buy at the local store!
For a penny you could send a postal card through the mail.
And for a mere copper you'd get your weight read on a scale!
A penny would give you a handful of nuts from peanut machines,
And for the same, get a fistful of scrumptious and colorful jellybeans!
I recollect the cutesy cards we shared for the school Valentine party.
They cost a cent apiece and were so witty and so very arty!
As the cards were distributed, secret admirers gave a sly grin.
Blushin' lads received saccharine cards much to their chagrin!
A copper penny would purchase a huge all-day sucker to lick,
Or a twisted string of chewy red or black licorice on a stick!
You could buy a kite with your penny or some candy cigarettes,
Or some wax-bottled sugar water or silly false teeth sets!
Ain't it ironic that the profile of Honest Abe whom we so revere,
Appears on the coin that we toss about and treat so cavalier!
Even in my second childhood, I'll still pick a penny off the ground!
Shucks! "Someone's disdain for that lowly coin is my treasure found!"
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
© All Rights Reserved
First Place Win in Joe Flach's "In Other Words" Contest - September 2010
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