BIJOUX

by Marie Delgado Travis
www.mariedelgadotravis.com
www.lulu.com/marilu

I wear the people I’ve met
Like beads and chains
Strung round my neck.
Some sway lightly,
As I walk...
Filigree cross.
Others wear me down,
Leaden albatross.

Exquisite gems,
Semi-precious stones,
Worthless glass,
Bits of bone.

Cartier snakes,
Obvious fakes,
That do their best
To trip and tangle me,
While dangling
With such
Seeming grace.

Chokers with cameo faces,
Velvet to the touch,
Yet wrapped so tight,
They strangle.

Bold medallion shields.
Soft gold that yields.
Sharp, metal edges
That cut, leaving traces.

Broken necklaces,
Bijouterie.

Silver swirls
Dancing in the
Onyx night,
Glittering
Even in my dreams.

And you, a single strand
With tear-shaped pearl,
That encases a simple
Speck of sand.