The Heirloom- 2
Ore
of
Silver
mined
Ingot refined
Keen eye purchased
Artistic eyes invited
Visualized form inside
Tools of trade
fetched
Heart of silver
ingot wrought
Lovingly hidden
shape brought out
Lines and intricate
patterns etched
Applied tinkle bells
hues to enhance
A craftsman
lovingly created
A silver rattle for
newborn baby
To herald arrival
of next generation
A new bud in the family tree
To further the clan
With pomp and élan
Bringing joy
To faces
Wan
Or
Not
(baby holding silver rattle gifted by great great granny-family heirloom)
*** *** ***
The Heirloom- 1
Property went equally to siblings four
Except one heirloom they all craved for
A beautiful piece of their family history
Square settee, gold inlaid with a story
Folklore had it, this was passed on
Generation to generation, from eons
The brother who was settled in Zanzibar
Relinquished his share for a tiny gold bar
Other two brothers who lived in the big city
Let go also for expensive tokens, quite glitzy
Youngest was the sister who lived in London
This heirloom had been her cherished mission
Happily dispatching this precious load with care
She quickly said goodbyes and paid her airfare
Settee was reverently placed in her London den
And hours were spent reliving years till age ten
Mother had lovingly served all four mouths, goodies
Seated on this settee constantly filling hungry bellies
Fairytales and proverbs that accompanied her food
Were pure common sense instilled and thus imbued
She decided to repair and shine the lovely heirloom
Called a known carpenter for a shine and a bloom
A coat of varnish was given under her ever watchful glance
Lo and behold a secret drawer was found, what romance!!!
Excitedly it was pried open and contents removed carefully
A tiny dairy, a silver canister and a necklace, very gingerly
Dairy enumerated her granny’s peccadilloes, document family lineage
The necklace had adorned this rebel great grandmother of regal visage
She put the necklace around her neck but the clasp was broken
She surmised perhaps it was squirreled away from a spoilt scion
In seventh heaven she photographed and imaged her precious finds
Quickly sending data in attached files to relevant expert historians
With bated breath she scanned for replies as her curiosity steadily rose
Smelling an exciting discovery given their blue bloodlines she supposed
Bingo! on that fateful Monday morning over a muffin and a coffee
She read they’d descended from of a Mighty King with no boundary
Their genes were a pure bloodline and the document was a national treasure
She was hard put to relinquish as it authenticated and reinforced her measure
She informed her siblings of this exciting discovery and information
They were glad yet could not appreciate its value, being ultra modern!!!
*** *** ***
No heirloom of humankind captures the past as do art and language-Theodore Bikel, Austrian Actor
As you age naturally, your family shows more and more on your face. If you deny that, you deny your heritage.
Frances Conroy,American, Actress
Heredity is a strong factor, even in architecture. Necessity first mothered invention.
Now invention has little ones of her own, and they look just like grandma.
E(lwyn) B(rooks) White, 1899-1985, American Author, Editor
Originally Published: April 26, 2010
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What are your thoughts on this poem?Filed Under: Collection of Poems, Emotions, Family, Happiness, Life
