Cleaning the silver

Such as it is, the so-called family silver
does, from time to time, need cleaning:
it is a labour more of love than need.

Tarnished, silver tells of fleeting time,
tolling for a journey into darkness
or remembered sadness.

Polished, and brilliant, though,
silver speaks of special times,
reflecting glittering moods
and moments.

Each precious piece can shine and talk:
engraved with names, with dates,
or just initials, to mark a special day, event,
or - on sporting trophies - record
a prize of distant years.
We treasure these, of course.

Some pieces though, with no such voice,
articulate a greater value:
silver which, for want of better words,
is everyday – the cutlery and other tableware
that is a hallmark of the lives we live
so thoughtlessly, a counterpoint
to carefree family closeness
at meals and other times,
feeding and nourishing our love.

The moments never noticed
are the most momentous;
the unrecorded times
the most worth marking.

Brilliant or tarnished, then,
safeguard the silver. That way
from time to time, you’ll know
that the labour – and the love - will show.


February 2017