A Piece of My Heart

Written for the Senior Center Forum Feb. Contest.

Some say things are not important
And should not really matter,
That money can't buy happiness
And sometimes makes you sadder.

But now that I'm getting older,
I may have to disagree.
My brain needs something physical
To bring back a memory.

For instance, just the other day
I was searching for a hat
And found a tiny drawstring bag
In a box of this and that.

Puzzled, I gently picked it up,
Blue velvet with string of gold.
I sensed a softness deep within,
Loving kindness in its fold.

After pondering for some time,
I loosened the tiny string,
And out slipped a heart-shaped locket
Along with a diamond ring.

My own heart was beating faster,
And my eyes filled up with tears,
As memories came flooding back
Of a mother's loving care.

For the jewelry was my mom's,
Her DNA surely part
Of this thing that money purchased,
Truly, a piece of my heart.

28 lines, 7 stanzas, abcb, 8-7-8-7