A poem
By Charles A. Third grade.
I found a nickelI reached deep into my jeans pocket.
And I found a nickel at the bottom.
It was a complete surprise.
Mom had recently washed and ironed these faded blue dungarees
So how it kept from following out and
Into the wash tub was almost A miracle.
At the moment of this discovery, I was
Passing Joe Miller’s market.
At that time, I was about thirty-minutes
Late for school.
I had read in comic books and watched on TV
And in order to calm the
Wrath of the teacher one could
Buy a big red and shiny apple and gift it
To the teacher.
So, into Miller’s market I went. Straight to
The produce department in the corner. Among dozens
Of apples I picked out the
Biggest, the most red and shiniest of them all.
So, I gave Mr. Miller my nickel and hurried off to school
Once in the classroom I quickly went up to the teacher’s desk and
Presented the red delicious peace offering.
She took it from my hands and
Said, “A diller, a dollar. A ten O Clock scholar.”
Then I thought to myself, Crap! What is an Okie boy to do?