Nickel

If I had a nickel…

If you had a nickel,
Mother, dearest

The bills wouldn’t yellow
And the lights would stay
Illuminating,
Revealing,

If you had a nickel
Nothing would matter
Because, Mother, dearest

Nickels weigh more than broken hearts
And nickels fill stomachs faster than
The bones of
old dreams

If you had a nickel
It wouldn’t matter
Because if you had a nickel

You wouldn’t have me.