More Than Enough

Counting coconuts instead of coins

Money Tree Plant in Capis Shell Vase. Watercolor by Author.

From deep in the canopy, a guttural roar rolls through the morning mist — part lion’s growl, part wind in a cave. The howler monkeys are awake. But that’s not what this is about. It’s about my painting of a money tree plant, which made me start pondering my tiny bank account compared to that of, say, Elon Muskrat, or his ilk.

The Money Tree Plant (Pachira aquatica) is native to Central and South America, but unless you frequent swampy areas, you’ll probably never see one. The plant is known for its association with good luck, prosperity, and abundance in feng shui and folklore.

When mature and dry, the outer coating of the seeds can be peeled or stripped, revealing smooth, shiny, disc-shaped centers — often bronze or silvery in color, like coins, hence the name “money tree.”

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More Than Enough

Their riches rust
in locked-up towers,
their yachts drift heavy
with boredom and booze.

They chase what slips
through jeweled fingers — 
always wanting
just a little more.

But here,
light spills like diamonds
on the backs of sunlit waves,
and palm fronds sway
in a breeze born of ocean light.

What wealth compares
to the sparkle of surf at dawn,
to the gold of plantains on the tree,
to laughter from open windows?

We do not count coins — 
we count coconuts,
constellations, sunsets,
the guttural rumbles of howler monkeys
returning from the coast.

We have the sun, the sea, the jungle — 
what fool would trade this gold for chains?

— Adelia E. Ritchie