As I made change for an elderly couple,
The wife pointed out the metal coin dispenser
Hooked to my belt. She told me a story from
“When we were younger.” She told me about
The “good humor man” selling ice-cream to kids:
Ten cents apiece. She said he had a change belt
Just like mine—collecting payment for icy treats.
The husband said that when the man rang his bell
Children ran, bringing that week’s savings:
Ten cents apiece. The husband shook his head, sighing.
Ice cream treats cost over three dollars now, he said.
I looked back down at the change I was making.
I compared the twenty-dollar-bill he’d handed me
To ten-cent ice creams they had as kids.
I saw what a twenty used to be.