Rusty Old Chain

While hiking in the woods.
I found a tired old shack.
It was hidden, covered with weeds.
I found an opening in the back.

While on my hands and knees,
I saw it lying on the floor.
Was covered with dust and webs,
under a rickety chest of drawers.

A chain of flaking rusty metal. 
Colored a crude muddy brown.
Probably worth nothing to anyone,
nor to any shop downtown.

A beaten wooden frame on the wall, 
the picture inside, faded and smelled.
A young girl, clothes ragged and torn.
Around her neck, the chain I now held.

Inside the chest of drawers,
was a fragile moth-eaten book.
It was a diary by the young girl, 
in the picture she so proudly took.

He was poor and toiled hard.
Her father worked the land.
The rusty old chain, a gift from him.
To her, it was regal and grand.

She cherished that old chain.
She wore it smiling with pride.
Since, as a child, she received it,
until old age, on the day she died.

Her family never got it.
They could never understand.
They removed the chain from her,
for it was not regal and grande.

The metal worth nothing,
she wore it from young till old.
To her, the contents of its cheap ore. 
Was worth more than any gold. 

R. S. Morris

Copyright © | Year Posted 2019



Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Be the first to comment on this poem. Encourage this poet.

Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Reflection on the Important Things

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter