Pandora

we whisper as we crawl through our space
this dark foreboding cave of treasures
or the ones now lost

I find here this chest.
a gold chest, bejeweled in glory
its shimmer an astounding memory
of the childhood gleam
that once glinted my very eye.

ribbons of silk caress the jagged edges
finely crafted in a seaside country 
that i have never been.
A smirk swiping across my face in wonder

what treasure do I truly hide here
what fantasy or dream
the intoxicating curiosity
that dwells within

one locket at a time I pick and prod
with old rusted keys that were never lost
slowly unlatching every confine
every restriction.

as access becomes a reality.
i pry it ever so gently
as  to not damage the beauty
it creaks with metallic splendor
and I lift it high.

I gasp and fall back.
breathing heavily
I now now what I hide

I was well aware.
it took an amazing box to fool me
into seeing
what others already knew.

I lean over to the ghostly silhouette
the shape of a woman with sadness and fret
and I whisper deep into her soul
the words she said when she once opened the box

"no regrets......"