Threads of moonlight
fell downward through bare branches
of tall white oak trees.
One ray of light reflected
off a shiny object, out of place,
on the ground below.
That single ray bounced back skyward
into the eyes of a young raccoon
sitting high in another oak.
Scampering down to the forest floor
the young raccoon found the new quarter,
dropped that same day by a young boy
wearing camouflage pants with a hole
in the pocket.
The young raccoon took the coin
back to a den in the ground,
where it remained for a generation.
It was picked up by a construction worker
after the woods had been cleared
to make way for a new shopping mall, but
the shine was all gone.