Dear Readers,
I've come to realize that I write a lot of my poems based on random occurrences in my daily life. Sometimes I also chose to write about patterns that stick out to me every day or even sporadically. I recently wrote a poem inspired by something that happened a couple of days ago: I witnessed an old man scratching away at a lottery ticket. For some reason, this stood out to me and I decided to write a poem about it. Here it is:
Hidden in Plain Sight
I saw an old many scratching away at a lottery ticket
I saw an old man pull out a penny from his pocket
Worn out with rust, like red dirt that lives proudly to grow grass
I saw an old man move his hand back and forth
In a procedural motion, as if he’s been practicing for years
Applying uneven amounts of pressure
And scratching away.
He pulled out the same penny
He must have used the hundred times before
He may be old, but it seems like he still yearns for more,
his same 20-year-old self reflecting in the mirror of the present
I saw an old man and a little girl
With smiles on their faces
The little girl asks “do you think you’ll win?”
I saw an old man neatly fold a half-completed lottery ticket
and place it in his pocket.
I heard an old man say “I think I already did”
And they walked away, hand in hand.
I hope you like it!
~Golden Ink