I call this piece "Man's Bric-a-Brac" as a social commentary on the attachments a man makes to the material items in his life, as well as the vainglory in believing that those items can stem the inevitable existential crisis.
First, a local phone book, filled with the names and numbers of a great many people, consumer goods, and services; as if those things can truly quench the fire of a man's desire. Of course they cannot, only a true relationship with one's self can satisfy a man's desire.
The car key fob represents a man's sense of adventure and escape. Although that too must fail, since no road or vehicle can truly go on forever, at some point a man must stop and reckon with his direction in life. To this, a man must ultimately find himself, as he is, where he is, alone.
The gambler's dagger speaks to a man's sense of insecurity. It says that despite all the luck in the world, danger not only remains, but increases exponentially with a man's success.
The wallet reminds a man of his toils and spoils through all his days. And whether a man's works be good or bad, they fold and unfold before his eyes, the eyes of his world, and the eyes of his god.
The watch, being automatic, is unconcerned with a man's future, since the watch is merely an invention. It stands by steely and resolute as a man's life ebbs and flows. It shows the march of time in an unrelenting fashion, cruelly mocking a man simply because he exists, saying little to nothing until the time of his death.
THE END
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