By John Zedolik
These skeleton keys hail from Portugal,
states the hand-drawn phrase on gray
cardboard, which provenance unlocks
my thinking as to what is so special
about these thin fingers of old iron and brass
that to my lay-eyes do not appear any different
from the domestic variety that might sell
for far less, especially as used item and even
worse lacking the complementary locks,
necessary for utility securing some equally lost
door or chest, but in which some expert
in Iberian antiques might find money
and historical value. I cannot rid
thus, my doubt of the sign’s worth
and the wares, better left to the keener sight
and mind that can unlock the mystery
safe, pendant and plain before a blind view.
John Zedolik has published hundreds of poems in many journals around the world. Earlier this year, he published Mother Mourning (Wipf & Stock), his third collection, which is available on Amazon.
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