The Medallion

I’m not a superstitious man,
yet I’ve carefully kept this
close by me for decades.
The man in a curio shop
hidden in a Taipei alley
told me “Bring good luck.”
All else was gesture,
but I paid two dollars
for a bronze medallion
of a god on rice sacks.
I’ve never seen its likeness
anywhere, despite searching
and don’t even know its name,
but good fortune and prosperity
have been my lot since and
until I’m beyond needing either
the medallion and I will abide.