I know I promised to keep King Christian
safe in my pocket on his Danish coin,
but I lost it on the Greyhound bus
between Chicago and L.A.
I have gone back to Copenhagen
between castle and canal
where I, then five years old, had held
the flag and mother’s hand
as his empty-saddled horse
rang steel on granite cobblestone.
The coin shop clerk ransacked his drawers
until he found King Christian’s krone,
apologized for smoothed-out edges,
the king defaced and pocket-worn.
He did not understand when I said,
perfect!
Finn Bille is an active public poet in Chattanooga, TN. He is preparing his collection, The King's Coin: Danish-American Poems for publication. His other collections are Waking Dreams, Rites of the Earth, and Fire Poems.
Finn's primary audience is the national Danish-American community reached through The Bridge: Journal of the Danish American Heritage Society, which has published his poems since 2015.
Finn's primary audience is the national Danish-American community reached through The Bridge: Journal of the Danish American Heritage Society, which has published his poems since 2015.
Latest posts by Finn Bille (see all)
- Last Night I Was Child Again – by Finn Bille - March 19, 2020
- Peace Poem – by Finn Bille - July 6, 2014
- The King’s Coin — Poem by Finn Bille - July 6, 2014