On the rugged sidewalk by the highway, lying miles away from the owner that dropped it
the chain already hanging in the gutter, the locket gripping for its life.
What used to be silver now brown with leaves and dirt.
The middle school girl who once held it around her second grade neck
doesn’t even know where the chain lies now

Just years ago she wore it with pride
everyday to school and outings.
Her mom had given it to her for a birthday
and she opened the heart to everyone who passed
showing them the family portrait

Inside the locket shows the family:
Mom, dad, daughter, and son
teeth showing through their lips,
eyes squinting with happiness.

The necklace now sparkling through the sorrows,
knowing its time has come.
Rain pouring down from the clouds
forming streams along the sidewalk.
Water rushing into the gutter
and the necklace,
falls right in.