Three Rings
I.
I was the one they chose. Gold
minuscule forget me nots laced with plain
dashes. Dainty, thin with a past.
Introduced by the jeweler when the wide
bands came to the knuckles on her short
fingers. Nestled in the estate section of antiques,
they didn’t care that I had belonged to someone else.
Slipped on her left ring finger with shaky hands
during their vows, she wore me with pride.
For fifteen years I lasted, till my thin self
could no longer be resized.
They kept me in my special box
as they searched for my replacement.
Ii.
She never wanted diamonds but they
chose me cause mine were channel set
deep into grooves where she couldn’t
knock me loose as she mothered their girls
and worked with patients.
I felt splashy on that third finger.
But alas, one of my diamonds
came loose after fifteen years
of constant wear and disappeared.
Put away in my sacred box
They sought another.
Iii.
She found me on her own
at an upscale artist boutique
My silver band fashioned
with chiseled squares and minute
rectangles. He approved. I adorn
her third finger to this day.
Little did I know, I would
be the ultimate ring
carrying her on her own.
8 thoughts on "Three Rings"
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I love how personification moves this poem in such beautiful and human emotion.
Thank you!
For some odd reason, I’m reminded of The Highlander – There can be only one! Love how the first two felt “chosen” and the last more humble. “I felt splashy on that third finger.” – very nice! The personification lends itself well to the story!
Thanks Sylvia!
This is such a delight to read. I can see it all so clearly – down to the special boxes. Thanks for sharing!
I love how two of the rings tell the story of a marriage that outlasts them, but how the third ring now carries the wearer “on her own”.
Remarkable take on marriage’s journey ending with heartbreaking and yet strong:
Little did I know, I would
be the ultimate ring
carrying her on her own.
Love the perspective and the symbolic references to change over time represented by each ring.