What would you change if you knew

What your handful of change could do?

A pocket of pennies in the hands of another

A meal for a baby and its mother

What if you smiled at the man

Who waits and stands,

Rooted to the concrete curb,

While the world passes, unperturbed?

What if you treated him like a person?

Don’t turn away when you could determine

Whether he survives the winter cold,

Whether his little girl lives to be old.

Remember that no one would choose

To live in the midst of dirt and refuse.

Your handful of nickels and dimes

Clinks and rings, jingles and chimes

It means nothing to you,

But it’ll help him squeak through.

What would you change if you knew

What your handful of change could do?