Carmen Milligan

Quarter Century- A Poem

Quarter Century

The wind caresses my ship, yet I have no sails

Here I am turning into quarters

Yet my coins won’t let me afford the linen.

Fear harbors like Twain preached

And change is far from coming.

Lush, tall blades of green grass

Comfort my bare feet as I stand

Tall above the valley.

The wind still follows me

With my pocket full of quarters.

If you don't watch your wallet,

You'll get buried under the Costa Rica sand,

Hoping the banana leaves shade you

While you recall your choices.

Some things come with a price.

I'll not waste my life’s coins on the

Trevi Fountain, for my dreams don’t come

At a cost. I will not get caught in someone else’s

Ripple effect. I will cause my own splash.

My change continues to clank.

Maybe I’ll get stuck at the spiral gum machine,

Wasting my quarter on a treat that you can’t swallow.

No nourishment. Only breathe wasted on a pop.

My quarters gently leave my fingers, sliding

Down to the coin catcher. Temporary flavored joy.

But here I sit on the hot cement.

No shade. No wind. No birds to chirp.

I’ve lost my chance and my breeze has vanished.

The old grandfather clock keeps ticking,

Reminding me of the hole in my pants pocket.

They’ve fallen out.

My time is up.

My thoughts are dry.

I’ve lost it all.

All because I didn’t cash in my quarters.