Diamond

When––– 

When–   

did the tender plant shrink,

fall to the ground, rot,

lie buried, suffocating?

did the fragile star gasp,

plummet to leaden death, smoulder,

burn coldly, slumbering?

did the ponderous world compress,

stoke the crucible heart, distil,

sear molten, transforming?

did the impatient core heave,

quicken in primal depths, churn,

fling violent, seething?

did the corrosive elements weep,

scour the oppressive grime, rasp,

chafe bare, exposing?

did the tireless steel gouge,

tear through loamy embrace, strike,

seize fiercely, coveting?

did the curious blade tremble,

caress the exquisite angles, question,

cleave naked, revealing?

When–

will the insightful light bloom,

glance this nascent diamond, reflect,

catch brilliant, desiring?