Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society

Return to Articles Page >

Bess's Wish: A Rockhound's Last Request
by Betty Novak
From: The Pick and Dop Stick, 9/2010
2nd Place — 2011 MWF Adult Poetry
2nd Place — 2011 AFMS Adult Poetry

As the jet of night fades to amethyst, an opalescent spray
Of agate bands streaking the eastern horizon
Gives way to azure skies studded with pearly clouds
Lit by the crystalline pure light of the golden sun,

Think of me.

As you walk through fields of malachite and tourmaline,
Full of garnet and sapphire blooms
Roses of quartz, bushes of jade
Forests of aventurine, peridot and emerald trees,

Reminisce about me.

As you hunt in quarries or fields, on mountains or shores,
For agates, geodes, fossils or gems,
While you collect, trade, cab, carve, or facet,
And attend meetings and shows, sharing with others,

Think of me.

And at the end of the day when a rhodonite glow infuses the west,
While ruby and citrine swirl among the cinnabar clouds
Casting copper reflections on turquoise and aquamarine waters
As the sodalite sky darkens to obsidian night
Studded with diamond stars around a silver moon,

Remember me.

For permission to reprint this poem, contact us at info@chicagorocks.org.

Return to Articles Page >