Plaything

Who remembers where I found it,
how it came into my hands,
a cheap, plastic toy
pretending to be a priceless jewel.

It became the adornment
of a long lost alien princess,
magical talisman of an unknown race,
key to unlocking other worlds,

an inconceivable invention
of humans of the future,
or many other things now lost
to my calcified imagination.

For such a treasured object
I invented a careless game:
tossing it over my shoulder,
I would seek it glittering in the grass.

I would not do so now
that I understand precious things
should be hoarded and guarded and kept,
never handled, never played with.

I was careless once too often.
Of course I turned to find it gone.
Who knows what child's fingers
now grasp the gift that mine let loose.