Neil Rollinson
Small Change
The blind man clocks me with his outstretched
hand. Small change, he says, any small change?
I dig in my trousers, pull out a fist
full of coins, and putting the pounds
back where they came from, pass him the rest.
Fifty-four pence, he says, thank you very much.
I circle round and wait for his radar
to pick me up again. Small change, he says
and I fish for the rest of my coins,
this time counting it: thirty-six p. He grasps
the trouser-warm coins and tests the weight
with a few minute movements - a doctor
checking his patient’s testicles.
Thirty-six pence, thanks a lot, and off he goes
like a one-armed dowser testing for water.
Someone puts money in his hand, he calculates
the composite weights and announces the sum,
thanks them, and wanders away leaving them
duly suspicious. I stalk him
from Waterloo bridge to Hungerford bridge
performing his calculus, a group of tourists
tagging along, cameras snapping.
I solicit a few foreigners to hand over coins
and approach from the side. Small change, he says
when I’m in the cross-hairs. I hand him
the shrapnel. Thank you sir, six francs,
four deutschmarks, two thousand lira, and six
Austrian schillings, very generous, exactly
four pounds and ten pence at the present rate.
Page(s) 53
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