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14th March, 2025

Friday Poem – ‘Buried Treasure’ by Paul Henry

Close up photo of a silver shell.

This week’s Friday Poem is ‘Buried Treasure’ by Paul Henry from his collected poems, The Brittle Sea.

Buried Treasure
Three silver shells, two feathers,
twisted into a black net,
placed in a young sailor’s palm,
small interpreters of love.
He falls backwards into sand.
Nothing so profound as this
has happened so easily, so far.
‘You keep me safe,’ she says.
Continents later discover him
an older man, a dull cabin.
He has been at sea too long.
On turning the key of a small box
he is faintly surprised
to find the contents still shining.