I keep it strapped, taped, sealed
The tightest it can be
Until its polished edges are digging
Digging deep into my chest
Cutting into my skin.
My brother lost it once.
He was twenty-five.
He wore it and flaunted it
And then he lost it,
And I never saw him again.
My father lost it once too.
When we were young, he told us
Constantly, the story of how he got it
And then he lost it,
And I never saw him again.
I wanted it too.
Despite all the dangers that come
When you lose the very thing
You sought for all along
I wanted it too.
But when I got it,
I kept it strapped, taped, sealed
The tightest it could be
Until its polished edges dug
Dug deep into my chest
And cut into my skin.
I never lost it,
But I might never see it again.