the penny jar

penny by penny
as a kid
you dropped
the coins into
the empty jar
with a slot carved
into the flat tin
top. by summer's
end, you had
it half way
filled. by spring
of the next year
it was almost too
heavy to  move.
and then you
slowly folded over
the paper
coin rolls and loaded
each with dimes
or quarters, nickels
but mostly pennies.
so many
pennies, your
small fingers brown
with where they
came from. money,
it seemed, earned
twice.