The poem "The Ring" by Diane Wakoski is about a failed marriage. The narrator talks about "the ring" which she carries on her keychain which is a big ring itself. That keychain though is made of bronze where as her wedding ring is gold. On the keychain the women keeps all her keys and her wedding ring on it.
She calls it a "relic" something that was "a symbol of sharing" but is no longer that because she is divorced and her ex has moved on to "oother wives". The ring is a reminder of the past that she doesnt seem to want to let go of. And it doesnt seem to be something that she is keeping to help her learn from her mistakes. Instead it is taunting her, reminding her what she used to have and be that she has lost and will never get back.
She is damaging herself by holding onto this reminder, this ring. It's keeping her down and from moving on and living, it's holding her back.
Yes, though not sure we can say it is "holding her back," though it does encourage self-reflection/self-annalysis; in a journal, you could comment on how the ring, and the ring bearing the ring, reveal aspects of a past relationship (its essential character, which indicates why it is no longer...), the speaker's unresolved feelings about the relationship, and her admission of her own continuing self-illusions/delusions about what rings and relationships can/can't provide-the poem is very mush self reflexive and self-critical/self-evaluative in this way, though of course speaks to issues about relationships to which many of us can relate
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