Great Aunt Polly's Pearls (Poetry)

Not one of her three
surviving sisters
was at all certain
who would inherit
Great Aunt Polly’s pearls

Ava insisted
Aunt Polly favoured
her — swore she had been
promised the necklace
more than once, in fact

Edith disagreed
but those two never
got on as siblings
ought to do — instead
they fought tooth and nail

Sophie considered
herself above such
petty squabbles so
kept close council while
planning to steal them

The day of the wake
Cousin Toby’s there
wearing black cashmere
pink lipstick and pearls
in Polly’s honour