{"sf1_id":461897,"sf2_id":"YnLpayYn","title":"Gemstones","author":"Lunostophiles","words":280,"posted_at":"2012-11-13T10:05:00.000Z","tags":["Blood diamond","Jewels","Riches","earth"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/461897-gemstones","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/YnLpayYn","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/91/b7/91b7b5d5-c17a-4cda-a00a-f53054844d82","description":"#4 of Poetry\n\nThe wars waged upon the earth for trinkets. It is perfectly fine, the baubles are beautiful. Just remember!","content":"A pestilence of diamonds,  \nEach brilliant in its cut, and hewn  \nFrom grander specimens than what  \nYou wear atop your finger.  \nEncrust in gold each pale moon tear,  \nEach drop of sunlight crystalized;  \nFrom ev'ry gem, a universe inside.\n\nI beseech thee--hide away!  \nSlip your stones beneath the rug,  \nOr in some secret little box you stow  \nBetween the sugar and the flour.  \nYou cannot let a single soul,  \nNot father, lover, or child know  \nThat you keep near your heart, in amber,  \nA galaxy enshrined.\n\nWe will fight! We will tear!  \nWe will rip apart your countries!  \nTo till the soil roughly and so angrily,  \nJust for a glimpse at a world  \nWhere we have not encouraged earthen eugenics,  \nWhich displace our equals  \nFor the sake of purity in stone.\n\nThere are graves that we can dance upon,  \nAnd winds that we may spit into,  \nFar better use of time, I think,  \nThan slamming fist and pick-axe down  \nInto earthmother, who grants us life,  \nAnd in return we rape her riches  \nTo wear but once and toss aside,  \nDeep beneath linen, mummified treasures!  \nEach domicile a pirate's chest,  \nA sheetrock temple free to plunder.\n\nOh please! Please listen, do not despair--  \nYour gems are beautiful, and rare!  \nWe do not want to take away these things,  \nBut merely hold them to the light  \nAnd let escape prismatic beams of truth.  \nYou wear upon your ears and necks,  \nAnd other body parts unmentioned,  \nThe seeds of many great new paths--  \nTo dig them up is to besmirch  \nThe branching ways  \nAnd tendril'd roads  \nThat each universe can soon unveil  \nIf we would only look inside  \nA ruby or an emerald.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Poetry","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/461770-synesthesia.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/465243-the-great-orchestra.json"}}