My Wallet

Posted on 2021-03-23 by Bartholomew Barker

My Wallet

Back when I used paper money,
I’d always arrange the greenbacks
with the dead white men’s faces
looking at me, right-side up,
by descending denomination—
Washington, Lincoln, Hamilton,
Jackson and, if it’s a good day,
a Franklin.

I’m sure I’ve wasted more time orienting
the bills than I would have spent
digging them out from the haphazard.
It’s like trying to write poems
with the same number of lines
in each stanza— a futile effort
at bringing order out of chaos
but sometimes it works.

(Written for the Living Poetry Prompt: Quirk.)

 

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About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
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12 Responses to My Wallet

  1. Cassa Bassa's avatar Cassa Bassa says:
    2021-03-23 at 18:38

    That’s definitely a quirk!

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. r.Douglas's avatar r.Douglas says:
    2021-03-23 at 18:59

    fine folding money foresight

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2021-03-23 at 20:35

    HA! This is not a quirk. This is logical, rational, and I still do it because I still pay for things with cash. Not a lot of things, but I always have a few bills in my wallet.

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld's avatar Lisa Tomey says:
    2021-03-25 at 17:03

    Goodness, yes, what little I carry must all be facing up. As for the lines in each stanza, I had to count. :) Which is one of my quirks, stanza and syllable counting.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. erroneouschoices's avatar erroneouschoices says:
    2021-03-26 at 09:21

    Funny enough, the bills I might carry are just wadded up in my pockets or purses 😂 my quirks lie elsewhere 😶

    Liked by 1 person

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