Timeless Treasures Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

Don't tell me what's in vogue.
Show me something of value.
Don't tell me what's trending.
Let me find something that's timeless.

Maybe I should turn my face away
From the streaming and tweeting
Of people less than half my age
Living half the world away.

I have to stop wasting my time
Picking at the deficiencies
That glare at me from their art
And search inside myself for mine.

But can I create unconnected?
Is there enough of me
To sift through
To find nuggets of substance
That do more than just glitter?

And who will appreciate my wares
Once they are smithed and bejeweled?
Should I dangle them around my neck
Between my breasts
Like some aging Aegean queen?

Or hide them away like a dowry
Self-bestowed, self-accepted
Declaring myself an island
Separate from the mainland
Of the masses?