Spare Change

Another true story poem about a beloved vase that we had in our home in the 70's, and I have it now as a keepsake.

The Big White Vase

A decorative piece; a mid-century vase,

With a funky shape and a clunky base,

White, tall, and very unsuspecting,

It became a safe for coin collecting,

At the end of the day, Dad visited that spot,

He emptied spare change from his pockets a lot,

Like a genie in a bottle, a generous guy,

The vase seemed to be an endless supply,

With an opening large enough to swallow my arm,

When I reached to the bottom, but don’t get alarmed,

My lunch money awaited, the honor system we had,

Used at the school cafeteria where food was not bad,

When summer came along, there was plenty to spare,

Each of us took a guess as to how much was still there, 

The quarters, dimes and nickels made the white vase quite heavy,

But we dumped it in the floor and counted it readily,

It usually was at least $300 or more,

This was our vacation money to go to the shore,

Off to Myrtle Beach, SC, our family did race,

Because Dad tossed his pocket change in a vase, 

White, tall, and very unsuspecting,

It became a safe for coin collecting,

The big white vase

Tammy Harvey    6/29/2016