The Treasure Chest Poem by Shilpa Chaganti

A treasured chest
Flooded with things
Petty and significant,
Old and new,
Dreaded and cherished,
But abstract all the same.

All carefully stored
And well hidden
As potent and alive they now are.
Through ages of chested living
They assumed life again;
The life that once belonged
And entwined many a life
Is now their own.

They live and relive again
All those lives whenever
They wish to,
Making the audience cry
Along with them or,
Spread their own smile
Onto the faces of all.

Potent enough to
Trigger any emotion
Onto the onlooker and
Wrench the hearts,
And mirror their
Own life to them.

Impossible to get rid of
Like a trail left by
The water flown...
Though locked and shut,
The chest somehow gains
Control over the soul itself..

Still the chest shall
Ever remain
Treasured; it contains
The invaluable memories of Life
I once lived...