Loose Coins Poem by Tracy Galloway

Words
Loose coins
Rattle and shift in my mind
When the change collected from waking hours
Settles debts
with good reason
Leaving reason well paid
and excuse with pockets heavy
Spent but still spending
In hushed tones and echoes
Shadow indistinguishable from form
Lie still
Tally the final cost of my thoughts
And weigh the days takings
The toll of regret
The debt of forgiveness
The price of a betrayal
Subtract care
Add preservation
Divide truth by desire and sleep richly
Not beleaguered by sentiment
The contemplative clamor bribed into silence
False value for comfort
These transactions unpaid