i

When I first met her
and eventually walked into her bathroom
as you do
I saw an attractive earthenware jar
-about enough for two pints-
sitting on the counterĀ beside the sink.

ii

Below the wide cork stopper
lettering across the front read
Wild Abandon
and I imagined over time
she had collected much
and put much by.

iii

Now years laterĀ and through many subsequent houses
the same jar sits beside another sink
and to my knowledge it has never been opened
remaining entirely empty
for in truth she was always hoping for some
rather than possessing any from the beginning.