Roman Coin Poem by Martin Ward

Roman Coin

Worn as smooth as a pebble,
the builders thought it may be a Roman coin.
They found it in Caister-on sea,
where a once great Roman fort
gave shelter from the native foe.
Did some foot soldier or legionnaire
lose it from his pay?
What rage over this lost penny.
No trace of Emperor's profile
on its face: flat and unnaturally smooth.
I tried to clean it in HP Sauce:
something which is not recommended;
but without avail: all trace of origin lost.
Just to confuse some metal detector
or archeologist of a future time,
I spun the coin into the garden
of my next home, many miles away.