This house is filled with coal dust
inhabiting our lungs
poisoning our blood

It is how it has always been
cold and dark
unforgiving

But there are these moments
of warmth trickling through the cracks in the walls
They are sparse
like the earrings offered to me today
by the shadowy figure of what seems to be my mother
But they are precious
as the diamonds within them
Appreciated
Cherished

These are our diamonds in time
where the cold fades slightly
enough to be noticed
And I
I believe in the warmth of the world again
if only for a moment.