penny candy

when i was a child
the highlight of my day
would come
on the way home
after retrieving my older sister
from school
we'd make a quick stop
at the Hitching Post
a small country store
the 7-11 of its day
mom would give us
each a penny
and while she collected
milk or bread
and whatever sundries
were needed for dinner
we'd head straight for the
shelves of candy
at the front of the store
it was a big decision
what tasty treat
to trade our pennies for
there were atomic fireballs
mary janes, tootsie pops,
double bubble or bazooka
sugar daddys, chunkys
bb bats in half a dozen flavors
i never pass up a penny
lying abandoned
on the street
though many
consider it
unworthy of the
effort to pick up
i remember the time
when it was
worth the world to me
and cherish
that sweet sweet
memory
of penny candy
from the country store