Pirates' Chests

Pirates' Chests

What if

Pirates’ chests

Were not treasures at all

But the debris of things gathered

That least mattered

That represented the totality

Of a lifetime of pain

A clutter of unpleasant memory?

I mean

What if

Pirates’ chests

Were not treasures at all

But land mines

Intended to explode

In the finders’ face

That the Discoverer be left

To manage the brutality

Of assorted

And sordid experience?

Really.

What if

Pirates’ chests

Were not treasures at all?

And what if

Yo! Ho! Ho! And a bottle of rum

Were not a cheer

But a dirge for the burial

Of the digger

And a wee bit of toast

To send the unfortunate beggar

To the other side

Where all is not light and good cheer.

What if?