On to the meadow unhurried I stroll
In the season of new birth, spot a wild foal
The wonders of nature I quickly extol
Sprawled on fresh grass, I glint at blue sky
All troubles vanish in the wake of a sigh

I reach for a flower, bend for it’s scent
A fragrance so sweet from heaven sent
Closing my eyes I breathe my content
The bug on my hand can cause no grief
Gently It’s moved to the flower’s leaf

I stay for an hour, sometimes two
At this perfect setting for peace to pursue
Where life’s agonies never fail to subdue
It’s springtime in the meadow so then
Tomorrow’s always the day I’ll be back again

But suddenly she saw something and quickly applied the brakes
to pick up a small round object near the sewer grates.
It was gray and metallic and sprinkled with grimy dirt,
so of course Sally wiped it clean on her favorite shirt.

It looked like a coin of some type, at least so she thought,
but her efforts to identify it all came to naught.
On one side was a big image of an Indian’s head,
on the other “a bull!” she naively said.

Sally casually slipped it in her pocket and resumed her skip,
’twas the “A” on the test, not the coin, driving  her fast clip.
“Mom, I got an A!” she yelled, flying through the door.
She got the expected praise, and a couple of dollars more.

June, the mom, knew two dollars wasn’t really much of a treat,
but though she worked hard, ’twas also hard to make ends meet.
She had split with her husband a year ago, had no idea where he is,
and, as you know, raising a child on one income is no one’s easy biz.

That night, after Sally was tucked in bed, sweet dreams in her head,
June had no time to think of rest, and did household chores instead.
While the dishes were running noisily, she gathered up dirty clothes.
Sally’s jeans she wore that day was included in the items she chose.

It’s a good thing June checks pockets before each wash is run,
finding pens, paper, gum, and who knows what, before she’s done.
But this night, while worrying about finances and nearly in a trance,
the coin she found was dropped in their piggy bank, with nary a glance.

But June and Sally shop each Saturday at the local grocery store,
where June’s best friend is a cashier, they have such great rapport.
June grabbed some random spare change from the piggy bank to take,
because it almost always means just one less bill to break.

With her shopping done, June chatted with her cashier friend,
reaching in her purse to pay the bill, which came to fifty-two ten.
She found she had it exactly, right down to the two nickels,
the cashier spotted the Indian Head quickly, laughing as if tickled.

“June!” she exclaimed, “this is a Buffalo nickel, and an old one at that,
 it’s in excellent condition and could make your bank account fat”.
June blushed with embarrassment, reached in her purse for another,
and exchanged the two nickels with her friend, one for the other.

Well as you might imagine, June wasted no time in checking this out,
and promptly contacted Heritage Gallery Auctions to erase any doubt.
The 1916 5C Buffalo nickel was a very rare find indeed,
it brought $15,000 at auction, and did so with rare speed.

June didn’t forget for a second who made the incredible find,
she bought Sally a bicycle and new school clothes, the trendiest kind.
Put $3000 in Sally’s college fund, and with the amount that remained,
June had developed a surefire plan to assure that happiness reigned.

She splurged a bit on herself, bought some things she’d been lacking,
and paid off her debts, quickly sent all of them packing.
Jane’s friend at the store was happy, with eight hundred dollars gained,
some of the money went in the bank, and some of it entertained.

Bruce hadn’t felt so good in so many countless years,
and his wife already had put breakfast on the table.
The birds had awakened her also, or so it appears,
and for a moment he felt surely he was living a fable.

The omelet was the best he could ever remember,
and he wondered if coffee had ever tasted this great,
if it did any spark of it’s memory was a long dead ember.
Bruce ate eagerly, then fought temptation to lick his plate.

He hopped in the shower to get ready for work,
wanting to surprise the boss with his earliest arrival yet.
He turned on the water with his customary jerk,
and the spray was immediately perfect, as if preset.

His shave was ultra comfortable, smooth as a baby’s behind,
and his teeth brushed up as if professionally made white,
every hair on his head combed perfectly entwined,
and his satisfied grin seemed as bright as a light.

For only a moment, Bruce felt a slight tinge of dismay,
as he was planning to wear his favorite suit and loud tie.
But the last time he was lazy, over a chair they lay in disarray,
but picking them up, the wrinkles fell out with instant goodbye.

When ready to leave, his wife walked him to the front door,
and when Bruce leaned over to give her cheek a little peck,
she laid a big wet one on him, like nearly forgotten days of yore.
He climbed in the car, adjusted the mirror for a lipstick check.

Out on the usually jammed freeway, Bruce zipped right along,
passing the very few cars, a couple of trucks and a bus.
Rather than cussing, the freeway had him singing a song,
not to mention the gas gauge moving up, from minus to plus.

As he neared the office, Bruce pulled in at a bank close by
to withdraw $20.00 from an ATM, for lunch and whatever.
He entered the correct figure and pin with a careful eye,
and out spit $200.00, his stop quite a worthwhile endeavor.

At the office 35 minutes early, Bruce was sure to shock his boss,
but entering, his leader was at the door, eager to pump his hand,
the smile on his glowing face stretched from ear to ear across.
Bruce could guess what he had to say would be something grand.

“Bruce”, said the boss, “that promotion you’ve sought for 5 years
has come through. It means a 30% raise, and it’s effective today”.
Bruce beamed as he heard a chorus of “Congrats!” from his peers,
and made a mental note to bring home to his wife a large bouquet.

At this point Bruce’s alarm clock shook him out of deep slumber,
followed within minutes by a shout of “Bruce! Bruce! Out of bed!
Get moving, you can’t let laziness your job and raise encumber”.
Bruce stared groggily at his wife, noting huge rollers on her head.

He felt terrible, but forced himself to roll unsteadily to the floor,
after all, he had a job to go to, that’s better than some can say.
He dragged his body to the cold shower he’d come to abhor,
swearing to fix that water heater if a raise ever comes his way.

Bruce had a weird feeling he’d been immersed in a dream,
but try and try as he might, he couldn’t recall any detail,
although he sensed the dream had been pleasant to extreme.
Out of the shower, he pulled on a wrinkled suit as slow as a snail.

“I’ll make it a goal” he said to his mirror with determination,
“I’ll work hard and secure at least some part of that dream”,
recalling only that a happy life seemed the dream’s compensation.
He vowed to work harder than ever, with extra energy and steam.

Ready to go, his wife walked him to the door, with a sweet roll,
and Bruce leaned over to give her left cheek a goodbye peck.
She responded with a long wet kiss that rocked his soul,
and he left for work happy, any restrictive thoughts firmly in check.