Diamonds are Forever
by Jan Chronister
When the Nazis came
Mama sewed three diamonds
into Sara’s coat.
When she stripped at Birkenau
Sara put them in her mouth.
When she saw SS guards searching cavities,
she swallowed them.
When they shaved Sara’s head
they sent her hair to stuff pillows of Germans
serving on submarines.
Sara shat the diamonds,
washed them in a muddy puddle
and swallowed them again
and again.
Now she strokes her grandchild’s hair,
long and black and thick,
wears the stones on her finger
where she can feel them burn.
originally published in the 2008 Dust & Fire Anthology
Jan Chronister lives near Maple, Wisconsin and teaches college writing. The poem "Diamonds are Forever" also received First Place in the WFOP Triad Contest, as well as Bemidji State University's Diane Glancy Award for Poetry. Jan attended poetry workshops at Write-by-the-Lake in 2005 and 2007. She enjoys gardening and her two pre-school grandchildren.
Click here for a complete list of contributor bios.