Lockets

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

 From the poem, [i carry your heart with me (i carry it in],

 E. E. Cummings

Do you own a locket, one of those hinged pendants sold as tokens of affection? The Elizabethans loved them. Their lockets held tiny portraits of their beloveds or a lock of hair. Lockets crafted in open filigree held small swatches of perfumed fabric to mask the odors of the day. According to my internet research, Queen Elizabeth I always wore a locket ring with a portrait of her mother, Anne Boleyn on one side and herself on the other. 

By the Victorian Era, lockets had become an important part of mourning jewelry. Clear lockets were worn to reveal the braided locks of a loved one’s hair. I have a locket like that. It was given to me by a friend after my daughter, Amy, died. It’s a lovely clear locket with tiny charms inside that represent the life, interests, hobbies and loves of my child. I wear it when I need to feel comforted, when I need to feel her close, like E. E. Cummings I carry her heart in my heart.

Our hearts are a bit like lockets. In them, we place the remembrances of love. In quiet moments, we can sit and reflect on all that has brought us joy or heartache. In our hearts, these memories, these tokens of love, are safe, sometimes guarded. We don’t always open the locket of our heart and show its contents, some treasures remain only for our eyes, too precious to be shared. During the season of hearts, cupids, valentines and roses, what do you carry within the locket of your heart? 

~Lisa Kiel