Diamonds Are
A diamond on one side
of an equals sign, infinity
on the other. Diamonds are
our fantasy of forever,
of the glittering permanence
that life seems to have
while we are submerged
in it. When we feel joy,
and pleasure, all we want
is to prolong it. Terrifying,
isn’t it, how susceptible
every piece of ourselves
is to annulment. The ends
of experiences flutter in
and out of our field of
vision, moths throwing
themselves toward
the blocked sky. We call
gemstones ageless because
they are very old, millions
of years stuffed into
their carbony veins.
If diamonds are forever,
or are not, we won’t
be around to know it.
The ends
ReplyDeleteof experiences flutter in
and out of our field of
vision -
tremendous phrase.
If it were not "diamonds are forever", it would be something else. It's startling how much we (literally) buy into what's promised.
ReplyDeleteI especially like your lines "Terrifying, / isn't it, how susceptible / every piece of ourselves / is to annulment." So thought-provoking!
Good morning Hannah- Another lovely poem to start the week to!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard this term until I moved to the US and I heard it in advertising, Zales : )
Now you have me thinking about this because that is not what I think about usually. I think our souls are more ancient than diamonds, they just come from an unknown place and go to another unknown place, but they are eternal and ancient.
When I think of diamonds I think of high pressures that take carbon form to crystallize as diamonds- that is because I am a chemist.
My diamond is small and it has a flaw in it...a bubble that did not crystallize.
xoxoxo
the oldest surviving printed book is the diamond sutra -
ReplyDelete"All conditioned phenomena
Are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, or shadows;
Like drops of dew, or flashes of lightning;
Thusly should they be contemplated."
there is something wonderful about the word diamond - and ugly about carbon
i hated to see a picture of the queen of england last night on tv dripping with diamonds
That's why we have estate jewelry, so the diamonds really do last forever. At least in theory.
ReplyDeleteMy little diamond studs seem boring to me now. I'm sure I bought them because of the "fantasy" and not because of my own aesthetic.