Amulets & Omelettes

He liked to rub his fingers
Over the small tear-drop shaped pendant 
That hung from a thin leather strap
Around his neck

             He found it comforting
                  In times of unease
                  In times of stress
                  In times of doubt
                  In times of indecision
                  In times of no coffee

When he was 12 
He found the pendant in a box                   
In the lost and found at Sea World
When he was looking for his jacket

                                                             Discreetly

                                                                 He had palmed it 

                                                            For no reason

                                                             Other than

                                                   He thought it was 

                                                    Cool

A few weeks after it's acquisition

He discovered it screwed open

And small items, very small items

Could be stashed inside

                                     A glittery flake of mica

                                     One fang from a small snake
                                     A curl of a girl's pubic hair
                                     Scales from a fish
                                     The corner of a cancelled stamp
                                     Sand from a beach 

For 23 years he had worn the pendant
For 23 years he imagined it protected him
For 23 years he warded off the woes of the world
For 23 years he believed it kept him safe

             Then came the morning
             He sat down to breakfast
             A three egg cheese omelette
             Four pieces of bacon
             A note from his wife

             Goodbye

Was all she wrote






...P.S. I hate that stupid pendant you wear