Recently, totally forgotten, I came across my old pair of red bracelets
They lay where I had abandoned them, unused and untouched for nearly 30 years
Untarnished by time they still shone with the distinct brilliant red I had always so admired
Red had always been my favourite colour
And the simple pure form has affirmed my belief of their timeless design
The instant I unwrapped them I was immediately reacquainted with my attraction for them

I gained possession of the bracelets at roughly the same time that I first acquired a taste for jewellery
Although I have no conscious memory of the actual acquisition of the bracelets
Positive though that I had never purchased them
I do however recall checking them for fit on numerous occasions
Not by actually putting them on
But by placing them next to my wrist in order to confirm their dimensions

A man being “manly” translated into being the opposite of a woman
So you never wore jewellery or “your heart on your sleeves”
A man would typically wear a watch and less commonly a wedding band
Wearing anything more was a valid reason for questioning his bent and sanity
Although I admired the bracelets greatly, wearing them was always a contentious issue
Determining their suitability for an occasion always resulted in a long and arduous debate, ultimately ending in the negative

Although men’s fashion in jewellery has come a long way it still hasn’t embraced red bracelets
Besides, I had for the most part abandoned the wearing of jewellery
Silver had turned to black on me while gold plating turned green
They had turned out to be ornaments of impediment often snagging on anything you came near
On the other hand red bracelets don’t corrode in the bath or shower like so many other items
And who knows some day I might find just the right occasion to wear them