Unpacking Life’s Hidden Treasure Chest
Memories are not lost—they become the treasures we carry into quiet evenings, waiting to be opened and cherished again.
The Treasure
Rupert Brooke
When colour goes home into the eyes,
And lights that shine are shut again
With dancing girls and sweet birds’ cries
Behind the gateways of the brain;
And that no-place which gave them birth, shall close
The rainbow and the rose: —
Still may Time hold some golden space
Where I’ll unpack that scented store
Of song and flower and sky and face,
And count, and touch, and turn them o’er,
Musing upon them; as a mother, who
Has watched her children all the rich day through
Sits, quiet-handed, in the fading light,
When children sleep, ere night.
Reflection
In The Treasure, Rupert Brooke captures the delicate beauty of memory. When the lights and colors of the day fade, when laughter and song retreat behind the “gateways of the brain,” life’s vivid moments do not vanish—they transform into treasures. They wait for us in the quiet vault of remembrance, ready to be touched, counted, and cherished. Brooke compares this act of recollection to a mother watching over her sleeping children, full of tender pride and quiet peace. His imagery reminds us that our days—though fleeting—are never wasted if filled with beauty, love, and wonder. Even as time moves forward and the world dims, memory preserves the essence of what is precious. In our busiest hours, and especially in our reflective evenings, we hold within us a golden space of treasures that no loss, no night, can ever steal.
Three Questions to Go Deeper
- How does Brooke’s comparison of memory to a mother watching her children change the way you see your own memories?
- What “treasures” from your past bring you comfort during quiet or difficult times?
- How might consciously storing moments of joy today shape your reflections in the future?