Alice Pero

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Trading

Since the subject of exchange is a commonly discussed one amongst us, I thought I would offer a few suggestions of what might be traded for what in a truly equitable and just system. I am ready to move away from the current cumbersome monetary system and think it's time to begin truly weighing what the important things are worth. This is best done by barter. Some examples:

An old somewhat used but vintage green moon

COULD BE EXCHANGED FOR:

A glimpse of the bright yellow dress
worn on the first night of your acquaintance
with the very beautiful lady with the long black hair
(you had forgotten her)

The sensation of flying with a swallow

FOR

One white feather falling
into thick green grass

Three smooth stones thrown back into
the gentle surf when you were two

FOR

The first page of your yet
unconceived and unwritten
first novel

One motionless drop of dew hanging
from a blade of grass on a mountain
in Japan at dawn on the day you were
stuck in a crushing crowd
at rush-hour in the subway

FOR

A glass of the sweet tasting wine
from a bottle discovered
hidden in a drawer in your
grandmother's house

The light shining on the red scarf
worn by the man you have never met
but will fall in love with

FOR

The plush red seat that
bounced at the opera (sound can be
included but not the light from the chandelier)

Some of the white sand brushed off
your feet at the end of a long day at
the beach

FOR

The straw and spoon you used to
drink and eat the thick
vanilla float at the ice cream shop (the
sand might be worth two straws)

The sensation of running very fast
through a field of slender grass

FOR

The skipping you did on the
way to the bus on that day in June when
the sky was so blue your heart jumped
in your chest(soft breeze and the smell
of summer coming can be included)

The gleam of the deep dark skin of
a princess sitting in sunlight somewhere
in Africa

FOR

Your astonishment at not being
blinded by the red-orange of several
flowers in a windowbox on a city sidewalk

The sound of a child's voice singing
the ABC song while you waited in the
waiting room of the nursing home
before being admitted

FOR

a thousand swirls of blue paint
made by a painter fifty years from
now,(could just be the sensation of swirling the paint,
if actual paint is unavailable)

Several notes played on a harpsichord
a moment after you had finished a short
conversation in an 18th century drawing
room

FOR

Three strands of gold thread

A very fast tap dance

FOR

"Amazing Grace" sung with
scintillating soul by one tall lady

Four fresh breaths of sea air

FOR

Three very yellow daffodils

Four oysters containing the mother of
pearl used in the vase holding three
red peonies(the oysters are at
the bottom of the ocean)

FOR

The song you will sing on the
day of your first grandson's birth

The gasp you heard from the audience
just after the space filled with the
last high note of your aria

FOR

The leap over the hurtle that beat
the last record by three inches

The smell of turkey cooking late
Christmas morning

FOR

The sensation of sinking into the
very soft couch at your aunt's house
when you were five

The crunching sound your feet made
when you walked down the path
after the first snowfall you can
remember

FOR

Several maple leaves, still
red, found between the pages of a book

The purple of ten flowers hanging
in the sunlight

FOR

The blue of a clear river
still visible in the moonlight

Two goldfish that will never die, even
if you never clean the water in the
bowl

FOR

A goldfish bowl that cleans itself

The contents of the gold purse carried
by the lady who wore the long velvet
gown at the opera

FOR

The bright red shade of
lipstick you wore at your senior prom,
(your reflection in
the mirror may be included)

Six yellow butterflies simultaneously
lighting on a flower bed

FOR

The felt hat the clown threw
into the audience at the circus

A ride on an elephant's back in the
cool shade of the rain forest

FOR

The sound of a rushing
waterfall while you are standing on a crowded
bus in mid-town traffic

The smell of the dirt you shuffled through
in your bare feet on a very warm day
in July

FOR

The sound of water splashing
when you dived into the pond

The clear edge of sky appearing just
after dawn when you had stayed up
all night with your lover

FOR

The clasp of his warm hand as
you walked down a cold city street

Hearing your name called when you
won the part in the play

FOR

Their laughter when you told the joke

A flood of notes that woke up
your grandmother(her smile is included)

FOR

The exact moment that you
decided to throw it all away and become the
song

That's my contribution to the art of trading for the day. Please do continue to find the intrinsic value in all things. Your contribution to this list is most needed and wanted. Do add to it.

Alice Pero

Trading

Last updated: February 11, 2014