Coins

(People have a habit of leaving small change on the table when my Girl Scouts are selling cookies. It may be well intentioned, but it's opposite of what we're trying to teach by selling cookies and it makes me pretty mad.)

 

Do not throw your coins at us

We are not beggars on the street

We are tycoons in the making

No, every little bit does not help,

Even my first graders know 

That one quarter, two dimes, and a penny

Do not add up to the four dollars you need to buy a box

 

Contrary to popular belief,

We do not need your charity 

We are entrepreneurs, 

Small in size but not in stature

Learning for ourselves what you have decided not to teach

The Girl Scouts of today

Are the doctors, lawyers, and presidents of tomorrow 

Do not throw your coins at us

 

Don't write us off as cute little faces

One day one of us will be the CEO of your company 

You won't be throwing coins at us then

We are the seeds that have just started to sprout

We may not be much now

But oh, we will be

Watch us grow into a forest

Strong, tall, united, and proud

Do not throw your coins at us

 

We don't want your change

We're trying to change the world

You can help us or ignore us

But you can't ignore the fact that we have done quite well already 

Without the handful of small circular insults you left behind

Do not throw your coins at us