Over time I have lost
more than a few earrings.
I have a jewelry box
of mate-less pretties.  

I recall a particular favorite,
tangerine in color, lost at church.
Another one, black and gold, fell
during a brisk autumn walk.
I still look for it along the route.   

I got the idea to partner the singletons
in artistic, whimsical ways,
my ears a novel Match.com  

But I would have been better off
going pirate with only one.
A person reaches the age
when wearing mismatched earrings
hints at something
not clever and imaginative
but puzzling and peculiar.   

It has been brought to my attention
that I have reached that age.