Treasure From the Rubbish Bin

A Poem for a Woman Valued Far Above Rubies

The Poem:

A saying from behind the veil of time in tongues diverse

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”

A jewel cast upon the rubbish bin of age

For a hungry soul embraced as greatest pleasure

Her countenance marred and furrowed

Not classically beautiful as counted by men

But the hard-won lines are most visible

When warming with a smile the object of her Zen

Those life-giving orbs sag under weight of use

Her progeny nourished, a generation fed

Cast away with malice but,

A welcome pillow for my weary head

Her mind works quickly counting the cost of projects

Her savvy not appreciated from towering high places

An asset for any partner, priced far above rubies

If he simply her wisdom embraces

The flower of her maidenhood rebuked

A foolish critic spewing his vitriolic lies

The flower so willing and able still

Offering precious dew at each morning’s rise

I saw you there among the refuse

Just a quick polish and a bit of care

The plain tired old, discarded pearl

Revived a jewel who’s worth I cannot spare

The Muse:

Pieces of this poem had been on my mind for a while. I am older and the ladies in my circle tend to be later 40’s and 50’s. Most times they come with some baggage from previous harsh relationships. There is one particular lady who is so very special and her heart is golden. It seems that men in her past haven’t really cared about her as a partner and have been harsh in their comments and critique of her – to her face no less. It makes my blood boil as I embrace everything about her and cherish it. She is an amazing partner and a jewel. So, I wrote this poem to make her understand her status as a treasure no matter what she has been made to believe!

The website I publish poetry on runs contests and I enter them on occasion. There was a prompt for a contest called “Unglamorously Adorable” about plain women. I felt this poem would fit the prompt very well. It actually won the gold medal for the contest out of 30 entries. I am honored and humbled! The key thing however, is my lady knowing her worth. XOXO