I’ve always heard that you aren’t supposed to pick up pennies off the ground if they are tails up – they are good luck only if they are heads up. When we were young, my friends and I would just leave pennies that were on tails: No need to temp fate, as it were. These days I am more egalitarian and I pick them up regardless. Poking around the internet for the origin of this superstition (which, like most, is mostly mysterious), I did find some variations of the legend that say a tails-up penny is good luck – if you give it away that day or turn it over for the next person to find. Poem, photographs, and collage by me. Have a great weekend!