October  11,  2020

THE  QUARTER

 

The grandmother gave
the little boy a quarter.
 
“But aren’t you scared
he might swallow it?”
 
“No. I’ll teach him it’s
neither candy nor food.”
 
And she did. And he
didn’t eat it. He kept it.
 
She asked to see it
every time she saw him.
 
She would hug it, wash it,
shine it, kiss it and give it back.
 
He kept it in his wallet all his life, and
showed it when he gave her eulogy.
 
Then he gave it to his first granddaughter
and continued the same ritual with her.
 
She kept the tradition going, giving the
1932 silver quarter to her first grandson.
 
So far that quarter is in his wallet and
he plans on giving  it to his first grandchild.
 
So far - so good - this way – we pass
good stuff down to the next generation.

 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020