The saga of the solitary penny

 The other day I was taking my afternoon walk inside our community on an unusually warm and sunny January day in Georgia. Suddenly I noticed a solitary penny lying near the curb at a turn, glittering under the bright, crispy sun. For me it was a golden moment.

But I was in a dilemma. Should I pick it up or not ! So, I decided to give it a thought while I continued my walk. If I don't, the penny would be lying there forever, dormant like the trunkless statue of the eccentric poet Percy Bysshe Shelley's famous poem "Ozymandias". (Geniuses are known to be eccentric). Once upon a time that penny could be Ozymandias, the King of Kings in Shelley's iconic poem. But over the time it has lost its value, lying helplessly dormant like the trunkless statue. They say these days it costs more to mint a penny than its actual value. But once upon a time the penny might have seen better days.

Now my first round of walk was complete as I passed by the penny the second time. I was still in a quandary - "To pick it up or not" ! The penny was starting to give me a cold, sneer stare and telling me - "All that glitter may not be gold, but old is gold". I still decided to give the penny a pass, moving forward, trudging ahead for my third and final lap as I suddenly remembered the old days, a short story tittled "Ha Penny" from my Class IX non-detail text book, a collection of tales by eminent writers from across the globe and few Indian authors as well, as part of our English curriculum in my School.

"Ha Penny" was penned by the South African novelist Alan Paton, illustrating the story of an orphan boy who longed for family affection. How touching and invaluable the story was and why I am still reluctant to touch the penny thinking it of no value ! I got teleported to my school days riding a time machine, suddenly remembering my first crush of life, the tall girl couple of years senior to me in school. In her I saw the Hollywood actress Brooke Shields, the epitome of my fascination for tall girls. The sands of time might have buried my crush long time ago, like the visage of the King Ozymandias. But no one forgets the first crush of life, its memory being so precious and timeless. The dream has never died, still glittering at the corner of my head after decades like the penny under the bright sun.

Oh, suddenly I discovered me standing right in front of the penny as I completed my third and final round of walking. Third time is the charm. The penny hasn't lost its worth, like the memory of my first crush. I could still see my dream from the past inside it.  Without any hesitation I picked up the coin and headed home. To give you the heads up, I heard that if you pick a penny lying with its head up it is going to be your lucky day.  P.B.Shelley, the eccentric genius could crush Ozymandias's ego, but couldn't crush the memory of my first crush. Heads I win, tails you lose. Shelley, I have earned my penny.