Ring

The key to keys, to keeping
A healthy relationship
With them, or surviving them,

Seems to be either keeping
Them, never losing them, or
Shedding them, shedding them all.

Can you recall which it is?
They turn up as heaps of waste
Like car tires or plastic bags,

But are they really, are they
Waste? They’re metal, for one thing,
And metal has value. Plus,

They’re keys. They always suggest
They might still get at something
And, like texts, no matter what

Has happened to their purpose,
They retain the shimmering
Sense they once opened some worlds.