All that remained...

The shiny metal trophy

She could see

Her face in it

Smiling, crying, laughing…

Mostly happy

The trophy was intact

And

She had her peace

Of mind.

Daily, she polished

Her possession

It shone, shimmered.

Envied it was.

New it was

Very new, very rare

Looking as if it would remain so

A well-deserved honour

For her efforts.

Protectively and fiercely-guarded trophy!

And yet

The reddish-brown ruin...crept in

A natural process. She noticed it not.

Slowly it accumulated. It ate into the iron

Unnoticed, unheeded

Fuelled by moisture and air.

Its novelty to her had worn off

The fear of its corrosion, decreased.

No more polish, much less care

When so much more was needed…

The ruin had

Full reign.

Iron corroding, silver went to brown

Before she noticed.

Horrified, cloth and spray in hand

She rubbed vigorously at the wreck

In vain. The beauty of the trophy

Was only a memory now

And would ever

Be so. For, what was terrible

Would only get worse.

She cried, she lamented, she polished

She hoped that her trophy would shine again

Yet

The ruin spread.

Tears shed

Nothing but a waste of her sanity.

For it ate her up too that ruinous stuff

O, couldn't she see, that

Of the trophy and her,

The rust

Would be all that remained?

Wednesday, April 7, 2004