diamonds & religion

sparkling stones plucked from the depths
                of the earth
shine like twinkling stars in the dark
                night sky
mined & refined, cut & shaped
               worn & adorned
rings, necklaces, bracelets & crowns
               jewelry, symbols
of wealth & authority, beauty & strength
               love & fidelity
mystical & physical, forever
                                             everlasting

science & reason proclaim the mineral
              is only carbon derived
from dead plants & animals,
             twig & leaf, flesh & bone
liquefied, solidified, pressurized
             & crystallized
before the dawn of time
             & then
granted power beyond the nature
             of its existence

a god created by man
            in his own image & essence
out of need or simple greed
           or both
truth found somewhere
          between
stardust & dreams