I peel off a price tag and stick it to your astonished lips, and

you rush to the department store mirror, gazing at the mark

I have branded you with. You remove the scar, with a cloudy grimace,

 stammering,  “b-b-b-u-t this price tag reads $0.01!” 

And I smirk because again you have misunderstood me, 

and I remind you that many people overlook the fact that 

copper was once one of the most precious metals, 

and unlike the fools who discard their pennies, 

like the flu – throwing them into the Delaware River

or trampling on Abraham as they pass him by,

I keep mine safely encased in a glass jar, housing every penny 

I’ve received since I was five, and like the penny - I am still – 

clinging onto you.

— Christine Barba