Gold City

My key was stolen
along with my little black purse.
It was my fault.
I left it unattended
on a chair near the pool,
but I still have the lock
unlocked and waiting.
It was only a ninety-nine cent lock,
but the key was magic
when it matched a dream
and story I'd written.
I carried it everywhere
examined it with wonder, but
I didn't realize
what it meant to me
until it was gone.
My heart was broken.
I should have kept it safe,
but maybe it was meant
to be taken.

Now, the lock is cold and useless.
I often contemplate
throwing it into the sea,
but I can't.
It seems meaningless,
yet signifies hope
something I can hold..

and then one day
I found the perfect match,
the locks that line this gate;
their keys all lay
beneath the water
of the Fountain of Trevi.

But my lock was at home,
and the key gone, so
I took this picture,
and I can still pretend
because as long
as I still have the lock,
the story never has an end.