Three

Three keys hang
On my wall.

They don’t unlock

Anything.

No treasure chest,

Secret room,
Bound heart.

Three Robin’s eggs

Sit in a plaster nest
Upon my wall.

They don’t birth

Anything.

No feather fluster,

Daughter,
Son.

Three swans swim

Upon my wall.

They don’t eat or breathe

Anything.

No water treads,

Flipper foot kicks,
Happy honking,
Or any real grace.

Three lovers sit shelved

On my wall.

Three protected apes

With eyes, ears, and mouths
Covered like I can’t with
Only two arms.

They don’t do human

Anythings.

No palms to lend,

Hearts to swell,
Love to serve.

I sit and watch

Inanimate trinkets
Not move.