My Nose Ring Fell Out....and I Couldn't Put It Back In.

I was walking home to the parking deck in the freezing cold weather and as I sniffled the cold back and wiped my nose, I lost my nose ring. Once I sneezed it out, another time it just fell out in my sleep. And yet still, I refuse to put a back in it. Why? Because then it'd be bound to my nose. It wouldn't be able to leave my face whenever it wanted, dropping to the ground or in my car at an accidental scratching of my face or a good nightly washing. I'd hate to have it think it owes me anything. After all, I've only given it the most colorful and ever-changing background on which to shine against. I've only allowed it to rest against one of the most sensitive and most analyzed parts of me. Why SHOULD it be thankful that I carefully picked it amongst the millions of thousands of perfectly good nose rings - colored ones, stronger ones, bigger ones, better looking ones.....and gave its mediocre self a home? I'm sure it would have been happy on the face of some rebellious 16 year old -- surrounded by 8 other piercings, grossing out senior citizens and preppy kids everywhere rather than being revered as a unique and beautiful ornament? I'm sure it would have been just as great on the face of some greasy latina who has nothing better than to bear 3 kids at 22 years of age and move onto the next "papi" of the month. So....when I was walking back tonight and my nose ring fell out of my face and on the ground, I was about to bend down and pick it up and take it back and clean it up and put it back in my nose. But then I stood back up, leaving the nose ring on the ground...in the pile of frozen dirt on the ground, in the same path that a million people had walked all over with their dirty shoes, spitting freely without a care in the world. I left it, I watched it lay there, glimmering only a small spark unlike the dynamic disco ball of light I'd given it. Because if it didn't love my nose...if it didn't appreciate the many times I'd cleaned it up and put it back where it always laid, then it never belonged there to begin with.