a/n: prompt from Sui Generis Paroxysm: -loss-
Holmes and companions do not belong to me.
A rondeau. Refers to "The Sign of the Four"
Loss
A pocket watch: a past concealed;
Its features, closely studied, yield
A history from each commonplace,
Well-worn and battered mark and trace.
A brother's grief and loss revealed.
~o~
No fifty guinea watch can shield
The truth and nothing can replace
The words unsaid and wounds unhealed.
A pocket watch.
~o~
The power which drink and debt can wield
Ensured his brother's fate was sealed.
Four numbers, scratched inside the case,
Count down a tragic fall from grace.
Memento from a battlefield;
A pocket watch.
~0~