Diamonds Are

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.