Praise the one that breaks the darkness

I praise the necklace so long
it drapes, loops, and circles
the neck of a grieving dowager
back to her girlhood play.

Yet, I praise the darkening
urine of amber beads and the fears
engendered by bloodstone;

I praise red coral—millions of gifts
piled by sea creatures’ lives.
                   Under
the hard western sky, I praise
grimy hands, fashioning turquoise
squash blossoms for the necks
of tourists.
             I praise the poor woman’s
subterfuge, Zircon, and the queen’s
throngs of golden chains.

I praise Nancy Pelosi’s pearls,

the sound-taste of chrysoprase,
citrine’s juiciness, opal’s sparks,
amethyst’s rumored temperance.

I praise the jeweler’s loupe,
peeking down from its glass copula
into jasper’s chocolate smear
purloined from Heaven’s walls.