Diamonds<\/p>\n
“I mean just what I say. You must
\nwalk on as if I were an open door, and go right through me.”<\/i><\/p>\n
“But that will hurt you.”<\/i><\/p>\n
“Not in the least. It will hurt
\nyou, though.”<\/i><\/p>\n
“I don’t mind that, if you tell me
\nto do it.”<\/i><\/p>\n
“Do it,” said North Wind.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
(George MacDonald, At the Back of the North Wind)<\/i><\/p>\n
\n
\n
I.<\/p>\n
\n
Awake in the
\nnight, in a nightgown<\/p>\n
no candle<\/p>\n
& the
\nboards of your house so thin.<\/p>\n
You hear the
\nhorse<\/p>\n
on the other
\nside, awake like you<\/p>\n
He\u2019s Diamond
\ntoo.<\/p>\n
\n
The North Wind
\nis trying to greet you<\/p>\n
You lie afraid<\/p>\n
& she
\ngreets you:<\/p>\n
Diamonds.
\n<\/i>Your answers won\u2019t<\/p>\n
wait long, not
\nboy,<\/p>\n
not horse:
\nThe North Wind sets<\/p>\n
your course<\/p>\n
\n
II. North Wind<\/p>\n
\n
Aren\u2019t you a
\npretty boy?<\/i><\/p>\n
Aren\u2019t your
\nwalls so thin?<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
Are you warm
\nin a pile of hay with the covers all up to your chin?<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
The night is
\njoy,<\/i><\/p>\n
the
\nnightgown joy,<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
convolvulus:
\nthe huge pale trumpets up the garden wall.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
The North
\nWind comes<\/i><\/p>\n
to pierce
\nand carry you:<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
you\u2019ll learn
\nto go down in tunnels of star & wind.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
You pretty
\nboy,<\/i><\/p>\n
& here
\nis a horse with your name.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
Aren\u2019t you a
\npretty boy <\/i><\/p>\n
with tunnels
\nunder your dreaming? <\/i><\/p>\n
\n
\n
III.<\/p>\n
\n
She is tall.
\nHer house is tall.<\/p>\n
She finds milk
\nbottles<\/p>\n
to tap with her
\ntiny hammer,<\/p>\n
top up with
\nchill.<\/p>\n
She rubs
\nherself, sable,<\/p>\n
on the thin
\nboard of stable<\/p>\n
& bedroom.<\/p>\n
She spoons up
\ncoals.<\/p>\n
She wears
\nlittle lace flies all over her clothes.<\/p>\n
\n
IV. Boy Diamond<\/p>\n
\n
Horse Diamond
\ngets up<\/p>\n
\n
& an
\nearthquake<\/p>\n
\n
shakes my loft.<\/p>\n
\n
I know windows<\/p>\n
\n
are to look out.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
The North Wind
\nhas<\/p>\n
\n
a tall house
\nwith the clouds inside it\u2014<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
I know windows
\nare to go out<\/p>\n
\n
& the night
\nis a course<\/p>\n
\n
softer than
\nhouse or horses.<\/p>\n
\n
V.<\/p>\n
\n
The North Wind
\nbrings a dream:<\/p>\n
the moon, &
\nbees. She works<\/p>\n
a poet\u2014blows
\nthe mist<\/p>\n
out of him. Ten
\nthousand<\/p>\n
things in her
\nbosom. Wings<\/p>\n
on wings. Watch
\nout\u2014the Wind,<\/p>\n
my Diamonds,
\nshe\u2019s stiffening.<\/p>\n
\n
VI. Horse Diamond<\/p>\n
\n
A rumbling
\n& a rocking<\/i><\/p>\n
\n
hay and
\nstraw<\/i><\/p>\n
and ends<\/i><\/p>\n
and oats<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
there\u2019s
\nnothing to kick about<\/i><\/p>\n
a good old
\nhorse<\/i><\/p>\n
a wind
\ninside of a <\/i><\/p>\n
window
\ndancing <\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
let Diamond
\nguide Diamond<\/i><\/p>\n
who is a
\nmountain<\/i><\/p>\n
& a good
\nold horse<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
VIII.<\/p>\n
\n
Have you seen
\nyour friend again? And did she speak?<\/p>\n
Blue as the
\nheart, her eyes\u2014against the door,<\/p>\n
\n
not moving or
\nspeaking. Diamonds, beware<\/p>\n
the hole at the
\nback of your bed\u2014<\/p>\n
\n
the hold
\nbetween you\u2014<\/p>\n
all you care
\nfor. Through her<\/p>\n
\n
like a door\u2014it
\nhurts you\u2014cold,<\/p>\n
swallowed up in
\nwhite.<\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n
No creature
\ncan know another <\/i><\/p>\n
without the
\nhelp of a body.<\/i><\/p>\n
\n
ix. North Wind<\/p>\n
\n
Everything,
\ndreaming and all,<\/i><\/p>\n
every
\nold home under a cloud,<\/i><\/p>\n
of opal, of
\nmother-of-pearl, grows<\/i><\/p>\n
dense
\nwith nothing but duty\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n
ripples in
\nripe corn, my lonely\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n
I
\nhave made room for you <\/i><\/p>\n
here in my
\nhair.<\/i><\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Diamonds “I mean just what I say. You must walk on as if I were an open door, and go right through me.” “But that will hurt you.” “Not in the least. It will hurt you, though.” “I don’t mind that, if you tell me to do it.” “Do it,” said North Wind. (George…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-issue-1","category-new-satisfying-poems"],"yoast_head":"\n