Legal Tender

The landlord is coming at six o’clock

to take what I’ve managed to save.

I found this single inside of a sock,

a dollar I’m trying to brave.

It’s soft as a bandage, linen and gray,

worn down to a thread by my thumb.

It’s seen the end of a very long day

and it makes my whole palm feel numb.

I smooth out the creases against the wood.

It doesn’t look like much, but it should.