quarter nickel dime
          quarter nickel dime
          quarter nickel dime
He stacked our lunch money
on the edge of his dresser 
every evening
for us 
to pocket in the morning rush for school
Sometimes he ran short
and we dug in the couch cushions 
before bedtime
for the missing amount
so the stacks didn’t match
          quarter five pennies dime
          nickel nickel three dimes
          four dimes
but it was always
exactly enough