Originally published January 14, 2012 

I am an urban miner
paper cup replaced tin plate
city streets replaced the Klondike
I probe the stream of traffic for precious metal

Silver

Petitioning Eligius
to watch over me, protect me
and bring the sparkle of metal
to my eyes and my outstretched palm

Nickel

Mining for ore in the urban landscape
panhandling in search of the wink
the shimmer of metal a sign
that my efforts aren’t in vain.

Copper

Filthy from the toil of my trade
covered in the soil of the idle beasts
only the whites of my eyes show
through the grime on my skin

Cotton

Lack of teeth and water
segregate me from the masses
my miner life a minor nuisance
to those who cannot abide to look at me

S.C. Stuckey, the co-founder of Drunk Monkeys, is a Canadian enjoying the Los Angeles sun who passionately loves her home country, her husband, and her rock-star cats.