Heirloom

  HEIRLOOM

Strands of pearl were given

By the lady who was very old

The closer I examined them

the more stories they told.

Three rows of pearls

Over her neck which once gleamed

Scratches hindered their shine

But their beauty still beamed.

A diamond brooch clipped them

Gave away the whiff of luxury

But the blood that'd dried beneath

Revealed her husband's fury.

The strings weren't taut enough

Like often pulled with jerk

Caused scandals more than once

Luxury comes with all kinds of perks.

Her daughters maybe fought

For the jewel that wasn't theirs

Although she was their mother

She chose neither as her heir.

In public she was all glamour

Adorned with sorts of gems

Had all kinds of dresses

with silver and golden hems.

The lady always dressed up

And these pearls were often worn

Was treated like a showpiece

And all her sentiments torn.

When they ran out of riches

And had to sell every creamy can

She kept the strings hidden

From her children and her man. 

Lying on her deathbed

My grandmother said "Come O dear"

Took out something from her side

And gave me her pearls to wear.

Reviews

[junaid altaf]

what a beautiful way of visualising someones life....
this is so complete in its appearence.
exceptional!

[S]

I'm glad you liked it!

[junaid altaf]

it deserves to be

[Daydreamer]

This is my favorite piece of work I have read today. So complex and fragile almost like pearls.

[S]

Thanks for your kind review :)

[Shreyas Tripathy]

Perfectly carried through, and the poem is well bound. The idea behind it is new and fresh. Not showing the poet's relationship with the old lady in the beginning and finally revealing it at the end is quite cool !
Great job !

[S]

Thank you Shreyas for the corrections! I'm really grateful! :)

[writ rajat]

nice writing with huge concepts