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Diamonds in the Leaf

                                Dawn                              
                               breaks                             
                               across                             
                          a misty, silent                         
                       mill     pond.     It                      
                     gathers moisture from the                    
                  cool  crisp  morning  air. Tiny                 
                droplets  settle on the green lotus               
             leaf. Its waxy skin draws each drop, into            
           a  gleaming  crystal  sphere.  Morning  light          
        enters each trembling drop, awakening tiny stars of       
      sunlight within. Glittering like diamonds on an emerald     
   velvet  leaf,  They  hold riches beyond any pirate's treasure  
 chest.  A  child  kneels  close, delighted and breathless. "Look!
   There!  Diamonds  in  the leaf!" Soft fingers gently lift the  
      leaf  by  its slender stem, careful not to spill any of     
        the  precious  gems.  Each  droplet  quivers in the       
           child's  gentle  hands. Now both hands cradle          
             the  slender  lotus  stem,  as  the child            
                tiptoes  with pride towards waiting               
                  parents.  "Look what the lotus,                 
                     gave  us  today!" As each                    
                       diamond  showed three                      
                          amazed   faces,                         
                              smiling                             
  back. 
                                                                                                                 
.                                                                
                                   In                                 
                                   a                                  
                                factory                               
                           nearby, different                          
                        diamonds  were created.                       
                     Black   graphite  lay  sealed                    
                  inside a cold steel chamber. A tiny                 
               diamond  seed  waited, asleep beneath the              
            black.   Steel  jaws  locked  the  vessel  shut           
         without mercy. Furnaces burned with a furious crimson        
       glare.  Pressure climbed like mountain upon mountain. The      
    carbon forgot it had once been graphite. Clear crystal gathered   
 in  layers  around  the  seed. Pressure rose beyond anything found on
    Earth.  High  heat  rivaled  the deep heart of the Earth. Black   
       carbon  surrendered  to  a crystal lattice, As face after      
         face  slowly found clear light. The chamber cooled to        
            release   its  silent  prisoner.  Behold!  The           
               black  graphite  has  become diamonds! No              
                  trace   remained  of  the  fire  or                 
                     crushing   weight.  The  gems                    
                        gleamed,   as   if  the                       
                           Earth itself, had                          
 made 
                             them.                            
                                                                                                                                   
.                                                                    

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Alison A Smith nee Howarth July 28, 2026 at 6:11 PM The contrast between nature's wonder and industrial is wonderful. Maybe in the song the second half could have been more heavy industry. Shape says it all. John Anderson July 28, 2026 at 6:32 PM WOW , Great idea I'll give it a go. I have competed by round of concrete poem that show that it works. Looking very good so far, though with limited application. Cheers and best Wishes! Yep done it! it will take an hour or so to update - Thanks you're very good to me!