Review of Diamond Heart (Saturday 25th August 2001)

This short, vivid poem uses powerful mythic and natural imagery to evoke resilience and transformation born out of emotional hardship. The opening line immediately sets a dynamic contrast:

“Angels fall and phoenix rise”
The juxtaposition of “angels” and “phoenix” invokes spiritual beings and legendary rebirth, suggesting cycles of loss and renewal, despair and hope.

The “wings ruffle / Like a thousand beating hearts in the sky” beautifully conveys both the fragility and the vast collective energy of life and emotion. The simile evokes movement, rhythm, and an ethereal quality, connecting the celestial with the deeply emotional.

The phrase “Frosted with tiny diamond sparkles” conjures imagery of delicate beauty born under extreme conditions, much like a diamond formed under intense pressure. This is immediately reinforced by the next line:

“Formed under the pressure / Of unrequited love”
Here, the emotional pain of unreciprocated affection is linked metaphorically to the creation of something precious and strong—diamonds formed through adversity.

The final line,

“Held together with safety pins and string.”
grounds the celestial and precious imagery with a humble, almost fragile touch, implying that despite the beauty and strength, the heart remains vulnerable and patched up, held together by makeshift, imperfect means.

Conclusion

Diamond Heart is a concise yet emotionally charged poem about vulnerability, pain, and resilience. It intertwines mythic symbolism and delicate imagery to portray how suffering—particularly in love—can forge something strong and beautiful, even if that strength is held together in a fragile, human way. The poem’s brevity and evocative language leave a lasting impression of the complex nature of the heart.

Top 50 finalist for ‘Smile for London 2010’, 20 second silent film competition featuring a poem called ‘Diamond Heart’, written in 2001, images shot in Jan 2009.

Some nerdy facts about diamonds:
The word ‘Diamond‘ originated from the Greek word ‘adamas’, meaning ‘unconquerable’ and is a mineral made of more than 99.5% pure carbon atoms fused together by great pressure and heat that is crystallised. Diamonds are extremely durable and strong, they are in fact the hardest known substance in the world and can be used to cut anything. A diamond crystallises roughly 100 miles below the earths surface. The crystallisation occurs so low due to the temperatures and pressure required for the process to occur. They are found in the blue ground of the kimberlite pipes or in gravel beds and ocean floors. The way diamonds were brought to the surface of the earth and hence found were due to volcanic eruptions occurring over 60 million years ago pushed up through kimberlite pipes where they cooled. The deepest diamond is roughly 3400 feet below the ground, therefore a lot of rock and gravel need to be removed before even just one carat of diamond can be accessed. In order to do this jet engines are used to thaw the frozen ground or the opposite to bear the desert heat. From all the rough diamonds found through this process only approximately 20% are cut and polished while the remaining diamonds are used for industrial purposes. Diamonds  undergo many stages until they are presentable for purchase but only in the hands of a master diamond cutter does a diamond’s sheer beauty become apparent. Contrary to what many people believe, most diamonds do not form from coal: http://geology.com/articles/diamonds-from-coal/ Diamonds have become symbolic of enduring love due to their indestructibility and sparkling life.