J. Gay
7. The Lost Penny
(From a series of poems imagining the Major Arcana in a modern Tarot deck)
This card has seen a few revamped visual depictions, the two most popular being the sidewalk in the abandoned city and the grimy dustpan. We have chosen the sidewalk in the abandoned city, as it is both traditional and consistently relevant.
On a crumbling sidewalk next to a potted street sits a bright, burnished penny. It is accompanied by bits of paper and unidentified detritus. There are no other symbols, but the sensation of having forgotten something important, of being watched, tickles the back of your neck. Not necessarily ominous, but the copper taste of anxiety may fill your mouth and nose if you stare at the card too long.
To draw this card means nothing can be done about it. Leave it. Yes, the penny is shiny and new and you just got it as change from the store but the city is abandoned and you don’t know how long the penny had been clutched in your fist when you went running into the afternoon, your eyes wide.
The reversed meaning of this card does not exist. No matter which way you look at it, no from whichever direction you approach, the lost penny is the lost penny. It is not going to be found again. Leave it behind and start afresh.
Fortunate colors: Leave it.
Necessary materials: Leave it.
Ephemeral numbers: Leave it.
Lovely herbs: Leave it.
Remember: Leave it.
J. Gay lives and writes in New Mexico. She was born in Louisiana. Her chapbook “Decomposition” is available from Dancing Girl Press. Visit jgaywriting.com.
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