Lost Keys - Problem Solved

Spiral or coil keychain, or spring keychain. In green. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Lost Keys Problem Solved. Comical Poem by Angela Lansbury. 

Where did I lose my keys?

Did I lose them, did they lose me?

Lost Property has lots of them

To prevent burglars, with no name

My new bag contained a key chain

My keys had a place, I was glad

But when the fabric fell apart

My homeless keys and I felt sad

I cut out the sewn in ribbon

Thought, I'll sew it on my new bag

I had no time to sew it

Used the large safety pin I had

I kept my keys on the lanyard

Moved and pinned inside each new bag

I was organized, soon forgot

Those lost key troubles I'd once had

When I went out without a bag

I pinned key ribbons to pockets

Not sewn, secured with safety pins

Like plugs stuck firmly in sockets

Now I always have my door keys

'though my pocket's a bit heavy

I never have to wait and hunt

Nor pay cut a new key levy

Once my mother lost her house keys

We found them after she had died

In the pocket of a beach bag

Before donating, looked inside

Then our son lost our front door keys

We had to add another lock

Keys were under his friend's sofa

Their cleaning lady was a rock 

I've made a long list of places

Where our sets of keys like to hide

Inside an old coat, or jacket

And each suitcase, search each pocket

It's like losing your train ticket

To prevent the loss, day and night

You simply must decide - always

Which pocket, the left, or the right

When I go to a conference

Or a one hotel holiday

I keep the bedroom key on a lanyard

Round my neck. There it stays all day.

Some people lose keys so often

I call it losing keys disease

It's no good asking dead mother

Paying to God, upon your knees

Just have a designated place

Maybe inside a hollow book

In your jacket's right-hand pocket

Or in a cupboard on a hook

In a hotel beside the bed

Or on the hook behind the door

On the door handle, on the floor

Then you won't lost them any more 

I've listed the common places

You can find door keys or car keys

So when we're in your home or room

Find those vital keys quickly, please.

-ends-

Updated with improved syllable count on October 22nd 2026.

A spiral key chain takes up less room in a pocket but enables you to reach a lock without detaching the key from a bag or jacket pocket. If the spiral is not long enough, lengthen it by adding another.

Please share links to your favourite poems. I wrote this poem for my blog, comical poems hazel nutter.blogspot.com. For this travel blog I added the lines about holidays and bedroom keys I am copying this poem to my dress blog, dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com