Two Fateful American Coin Flips
Asa Lovejoy, Francis Pettigrew & The Portland Penny
We settled on the banks of the Willamette,
“The Clearing’s” what we called our settlement.
“A better name could prove to be an asset,”
Said Asa, and I shared his sentiment.
“It’s 1845 and folks are coming
To Oregon by ship and wagon train.
Our town,” I said, “should have a name that’s humming,
Or our investment will go down the drain.”
Said Asa, “I’m from Boston, Massachusetts.
“I think that name is one we should retain.”
“But where I’m from,” I said, “has far more assets;
The name that I would choose is Portland, Maine.”
“Dear Francis,” said my friend, “Give me a penny.
Let’s flip to see which name that it will be.”
“Sounds good to me, dear Asa. But how many?
To make it fair let’s do two out of three.”
It took three flips to come to a decision;
I won the final toss and got my way.
Back then we couldn’t conjure up a vision
Of what the town of Portland is today.
The penny that we used is a reminder
How often love and life are serendip.
It also shows it’s better to be kinder
And choose, instead of arguing, to flip!
The Wright Brothers
The first attempt at motored flight
Was piloted by Wilbur Wright.
To choose who’d fly, a coin was tossed.
It came up “heads” and Orville lost.
(Or maybe it was “tails,” who knows?
But that’s the way my story goes.)
So, what was it that Wilbur did?
He tried, but failed and bent the skid.
Just three days later, second try,
And Orville rose into the sky
And flew one hundred twenty feet,
(A distance Wilbur later beat.)
The coin: A penny? Nickel? Dime?
A detail lost to mists of time!
But listen! There’s a moral here.
If you’re in second place, take cheer!
For sometimes, although seeming cursed,
A loser still can come in first.
James A. Tweedie is a retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He has written and published six novels, one collection of short stories, and four collections of poetry including Sidekicks, Mostly Sonnets, and Laughing Matters, all with Dunecrest Press. His poems have been published nationally and internationally in both print and online media. He was honored with being chosen as the winner of the 2021 SCP International Poetry Competition.
Well-told stories, focusing on the detail of a coin flip. They’re both very enjoyable — both made me laugh, but especially your conclusion of love and life being “serendip”!
I enjoyed both of these “coin-toss” poems, James. I actually lived in Portland from 2011 to 2017 (an experience never to be forgotten.) I remember seeing the famous “Portland Penny” at the Oregon Historical Museum in downtown PDX. It’s funny how such a small random object can end up having great ripples through history. Imagine if the city were “Boston, Oregon.” Maybe there’d be less unrest. Or maybe not.
Good stories, James, of when and why to value the fairness of random chance. And how losing a fair flip may still lead to a win ahead. Always worth maintaining good humor!
Great fun, James. In Stephen King’s great novel, The Stand’, I learned that there was a Portland in Maine. I also learned, from the same book after some of the characters cycled a long distance from Maine and the Maine female character ended up with a sore ‘fanny’, that ‘fanny’ in America means ‘bottom’.
As for the Wright brothers, just remember ‘The second mouse gets the cheese’.
Jim, congrats on your win!!!