Treasure

Treasure
By Mark Spencer

I remember from my childhood
Stories my father told,
Of pirate ships and gold dabloons,
And heroes, strong and bold.

I used to say a prayer each night,
Asking for a treasure,
Fortunes beyond my wildest dreams,
Full of earthly pleasure.

And that is all I thought about,
A priceless possession.
At night I dreamed of treasure chests,
It became an obsession.

I grew up and went to college,
My goal was set for me.
I'd learn everything I needed,
Through archaeology.

I encountered just one problem,
A minor distraction.
This one concerned the girl next door,
We had an attraction.

I'd hoped she'd understand that I
Had no time for pleasure.
The only thing I focused on,
Was finding my treasure.

She finally met someone new,
A kind and loving guy;
They married in the early spring,
From there, time just flew by.

I searched for treasure, far and wide,
And deep within the Earth.
I uncovered tombs and cities,
And things of priceless worth.

I unearthed precious artifacts,
And achieved every goal.
But nothing seemed to satisfy
The aching in my soul.

I could not understand the cause,
I was living my dream.
But the treasure I was seeking,
Was more than what it seemed.

And then one fateful Christmas Eve,
The Lord opened my eyes.
I spent that Christmas with my folks,
And much to my surprise...

I heard a voice out of the past,
Call my name from next door.
She didn't seem much different from
The girl I knew before.

Then she introduced her husband,
Her daughter and her son.
And I thought, as we were talking,
How much I'd like to run.

I finally understood it,
What I had missed in life;
As I got to know his children,
And chatted with his wife.

We talked about the work I'd done,
And all that I achieved,
In my pursuit of childhood dreams,
And things I once believed.

Though she grew up next door to me,
I was too blind to see.
I never saw the treasure that
Was right in front of me?

As I said Merry Christmas to
The richest man I know,
I reflected on the choices
I made so long ago.

I was sure of my decisions,
And the life I had planned.
All the years searching for treasure,
Spent digging in the sand.

How could my life have been eclipsed
By this one memory?
That day I made her realize
She'd never be with me.

It was the day she walked away,
A loss without measure.
The choice that set me on this path,
Robbed me of my treasure.

And in my heart I realized
With each relic I found,
The greatest treasures we will find,
Aren't buried in the ground.

End.