Seed Treasure

Carefully trowel away
The layers of soil and moss.

If you do not damage it
In the act of opening

The history around it,
The packaging of long lives,

The world to which it belongs,
You will discover treasure

Has come to nest in your hands.
Pandora had a sister,

And the marble jar that held
Her delicate, glittering,

Staggeringly valuable,
Tiny set of jewelry

Was itself a great wonder,
Carved from stone to such a fine

Thinness full of narrative
And incident, it ended

Translucent and frail as lace.
And what treasures did this jar

Of Pandora’s sister hold?
Among many small wonders,

The shimmering amulet
That, worn on the wrist, could shield

The wearer against any
Of all the many terrors

Hidden in Pandora’s Box.
That amulet had a name

Once, but now there is no word
Anyone remembers for

Magic extraordinary
Enough to protect a soul

From tragic ordinary
Sorrows one lives with to show

Solidarity with those
Who need seed treasure to grow.