Sue Mason Poet Free verse

"had To End In Fifty"

Can't be nineteen ninety-nine
or fourteen forty-five
had to end in fifty
to keep the quarter alive!

Oh, that lowly penny
a nuisance to be sure
lately out of favor
and its easy to see why
has to end in fifty
to make a simple buy.

Twenty-nine eighty seven
too much to figure out ...
has to end in fifty
of that there is no doubt.


                      Inspiration & title taken from Philip Roth's "Everyman"

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Doris Culverhouse September 11, 2009 at 10:26 AM what ended in fifty? oh you are talking about change of coins?

Yoni Dvorkis August 30, 2009 at 1:01 PM Interesting idea Sue, the big buyers usually do like to stick to big round numbers, buy 3,000 shares of x stock and such. Only at the grocery store do I still fish around my pocket for loose change, or rather I did before the glorious age of debit cards. penny is a lowly instrument for sure.

Carol Sunshine Brown August 22, 2009 at 5:54 PM Thank you for sharing your excellent poetry with us today Sue. Keep your pen flowing and have a wonderful day. Love, Carol

William Kershaw August 22, 2009 at 3:30 PM Sue, thank you so much for this. Until now, I thought that I was the only Roth fan still alive. Fun and true at the same time. And thanks for your kind comments. They made a bad day a glad day. Love, Will

Sara Kendrick August 22, 2009 at 2:18 PM Interesting. Keep writing. Sara

Christopher Higgins August 22, 2009 at 12:43 PM This is a very good write my friend..love that second stanza..thanks for the comments.

Carolyn Devonshire August 22, 2009 at 12:25 PM What a delightful poem, Sue! The penny is going the way of the dinosaur. As you say, most people consider them nuisances. Your Christmas Cactus requires darkness during summer months if it is to bloom around Christmas. The first one I saw was in a friend's closet! Love, Carolyn

August 22, 2009 at 11:36 AM This one has me smiling. The rhyme works well to give it a lighthearted feeling that fits with your thoughts. Enjoyed the creative view. Thank you for sharing your poem with us and for your kind comments on mine. Thank you also for taking time to support Shannon. It was a wonderful surprise when she joined The Soup. Have a nice weekend. Karen