the ten cent sin

we used to steal
cokes
from the round shouldered
machine
at the bottom
of the stairs.
we'd slip our skinny arms
up until
we reached
the cold bottle
then pull
and out would come
the drink
icy in our hand.
we had the dimes
to pay for them, but
the challenge
was seeing
if we could.
of course explaining
this to
the priest
in the confessional booth
took some
doing.