Below is my piece for Suzanne Burke’s ‘Flash in a Fiction Challenge’ Week #13 Image Prompt. I had a heck of a time choosing the poem to post here. I ended up with several peoms, but narrowed it down to two. One was full of images and a connection to the soul, but the other one reminded me of a favorite poem, “A Road Less Traveled” by Robert Frost. Here’s the one that narrowly won out.
TREASURE
I searched day and night
For this promised treasure.
Given no map or guidance
Only a family quest to fulfill.
Each morning started the same…
Through the pines, cedars, and dogwoods
I followed my path.
My eyes scanned the hushed forest.
And when the filtered sunbeams departed…
So did I.
I repeated this ritual daily, never changing my course
Until that one day…
A shimmer sparkled between two large sugar pines.
Encouraged, I veered off into the unknown.
I soon found this careless choice difficult…
Leaving me conflicted…
And scraped and bruised from this uncharted territory.
But the small light beckoned me forward…
Until the sunbeams dissipated…
I turned to go home.
That’s when I saw it… shiny, bright, and golden.
I knew it was the promised family treasure
Quickly I swooped up the old key, studying it.
It was exactly as described down to the three holes,
But it offered no answers, only more questions.
I carefully tucked it away in my pocket.
All I had to do was… find the lock.
Here’s where my next journey began.
I’ll continue until I find what I seek…
The lock that my treasured key opens…
And what exists beyond.
Embrace your inner child by trying something new. D. L. Finn
