Dagger (Notevember 2023, #15)

I found some treasure in a tree!
Add odd contraption, come and see
What could it be? What could it be?

It’s sharp enough to make a cut
But then it has a weighted butt
To smash a seed? To crack a nut?

It’s shiny like a mirror, too
Another me! Another you!
What else can this old trinket do?

It tries to sing when it is tapped
A muted “ping!”, in ivy wrapped
Alas, this thing is cruelly trapped

Are we supposed to set it free,
this odd contraption in a tree?
Has someone left it there for me?

No luck, it’s stuck in wooden rift
And heavier than we could lift
But still, a most enchanting gift

Perhaps this most alluring treasure’s
weight is just a safety measure?
Can’t be snatched away at leisure

Let’s make our little visit brief
I’m not a crook! You’re not a thief!
Best left in cleft for vine and leaf

And if it stays inside its nook
I’ll come, sometimes, to take a look…
The only thing I ever took!