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Saturday, January 2, 2010

A Bedtime Story

Originally Composed 5 November, 2009

An Ode to the Lost Earring on the Metro

When I got on the metro today you captured my eye. Reflecting the early morning light. A tiny flame, the doors opened and you reflected the sun’s glare up from the floor. I sat down and it became obvious to me that you were somebody’s earring. They had left you behind. I don’t know how you came to be there but I must admit I felt a sense of grief seeing you there alone. Seeing you there lost and alone on the floor of the metro. Where were you travelling today, I wondered. Where were you going today that now you will never reach? Maybe you were sightseeing; on your way into town to see the museums and monuments. Or perhaps it was simply a day like any other. Like me on your way to school or to work. Surely wherever you intended to go today you hadn’t expected to be left here alone on the floor of the metro.

When I got on the metro today you were like a beacon, lost at sea. Your bright colors were calling out for someone to find you but nobody noticed. Nobody noticed and so there you lay, lost and alone on the floor of the metro, calling out mutely to the world. A beacon calling out for help. Where did you come from, I wondered. Perhaps you were a gift. Perhaps you were a beautiful reminder of someone’s love. A birthday present or maybe an anniversary gift. I wonder if someone saw you in a shop window, shining in the morning light. I wonder if you caught their eye like you caught mine and they said to themselves: These would be perfect for the woman I love. Did her eyes sparkle when she first saw you? How beautiful she must have looked, her face aglow with love. I wonder if you knew then how happy you made her feel. How proud you must have been to be a part of that.

When I got on the metro today I was struck by how lonely you looked. There is something inherently sad about a single earring. Your whole existence is defined by being a part of a pair. Your purpose can never be fulfilled without the presence of an other. And so I was struck with grief when I saw you, shining in the morning light. For here, lost and alone on the floor of the metro you know that never again will you be complete. Never again will you be whole. Never again will your purpose be attainable. And though I found you today, calling out mutely to the world, I was as helpless as you. I can wish you good luck, earring, but we both know it would be of little use. For though I can travel with you a short time, here you must remain; incomplete, lost and alone on the floor of the metro.

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