POETRY JAM - TRASH OR TREASURE?

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” – English Proverb

Poetry Jam's topic for this week is: “Think of something that was trash/junk to you and a treasure to someone else, or vice versa – someone else’s trash/junk as your treasure. Write a poem about the experience.” Here is my offering:

Keepsakes

A closed drawer opened:

A dirty, crumpled envelope;

A dried-up mouldy flower;

A piece of faded fabric torn;

A Cracker Jack ring made of tin;

And a little stone heart, broken.

All trash; they were thrown out.

All trash; they were thrown out,

With other junk found all about

In house locked up in silence,

Disturbed by renovator’s violence.

A dirty, crumpled envelope;

That holds a treasured note,

Where words of tender hope

With love you fondly wrote.

A dried-up mouldy flower;

Once cut with sweet affection

In rosy, fragrant secret bower,

To mark our joy’s perfection.

A piece of faded fabric torn;

From summer dress then worn,

My finger’s wound to stanch –

Caused by the thorny branch.

A Cracker Jack ring made of tin;

Given in earnestness of youth,

Was good enough your heart to win,

Its tinny falsity concealing truth.

And a little stone heart, broken –

That signals doom, betrayal

Of vows of love then spoken

And of our play’s inept portrayal…

Our story’s ended, new ones start

With players fresh and young of heart,

Not mindful of the sad portent

Of closed drawer opened.