More precious than metal ....

It makes me laugh how only certain metals are deemed "precious". In an age of technology and industry, ALL metals are precious, we would be lost without them. There is a vast amount of Silver used in the manufacture of day to day gadgets, usually on microchips. Some metals may be more abundant than others, but at the rate it is being mined, even they will become scarce. Obviously, we have been extracting and mining since the Bronze Age, but how long will it last? Thank goodness for recycling!

I realised this week exactly how precious one particular piece of metal is to me and how I miss wearing it. For some reason my fingers are allergic to wearing gold and as a consequence I was unable to wear my engagement and wedding rings for much of the time while my husband was alive. These days, they hang on a chain which I wear on special occasions. I can't wear it every day, as it gets tangled in my hair. The old adage is true .... "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone!". My marriage meant so much to me. I know many people don't see the need these days, perhaps thinking "Why bother? It's only a piece of paper!". But to me, it's more than that. It was our way of declaring and showing the world (and each other) that we were completely committed to the other, 'til death do us part.

So with that in mind, I wrote this weeks' poem. Thinking back to how hard my Hubby worked to save enough money to buy me an engagement ring.


More Precious Than Metal ....

Chipping away at the sheer rockface
of his life
he grafts
day in day out.
Tracing the seams
which will bring him fortune
more precious than metal,
but that of security,
love, family.
Money hard earned
Striven for in earnest
One metal exchanged for another,
composite for pure ore,
coins for a gold ring,
the latter bringing a more satisfying reward.
It's a dead-end dirty job,
but he's more than happy to do it.
His prize? - That smile,
the joy of being with the one he loves
when she says "Yes!"
The circle of the band,
representing infinity,
a love to last forever 
and continuance of mankind.
A precious piece of metal after all!


I hope that makes sense. My brain is rather befuddled this week. ;-)

Thanks for reading. x