More Rare Than Rubies
by Gail Tirone
Age 16, it was my first time
in a vault — cold and dark
with a splash of James Bond
My grandmother, a proud New Yorker
shoulders thrown back, head held high
in her black-and-white tweed suit
and confident stride
showed me the ropes
She’d decided my 16th birthday gift
would be a ring
a beautiful ring for a beautiful girl
she recited it like a nursery rhyme
trying hard to convince me
that I was
In the small locked room
we sat on miniature stools
and from the long metal box
she carefully extracted jewels
unveiling a parade of rings
on the black velvet shelf
— a lustrous white bud of pearl
— a gold circle flecked with diamond chips
— a small amethyst set in silver
I considered my options
— all nice, but none that I wanted
I hesitated
Choose, she encouraged
she smiled
They’re all lovely —
which do you like best?
This woman who grew up poor
a Lower East Side Cinderella
locked alone in a tenement
where she sat on the floor
and played with mice
instead of toys
Well, the one I really like…
is this one, I said
pointing to the emerald
on her hand
a frozen pool of Titian greens
poised in an elegant filigree setting
as if spun on a loom of platinum lace
Her emerald had power
granting its bearer
the worldliness and sophistication
I yearned for
She gave me a long look and
without hesitation
pulled the emerald ring
off her finger
and placed it on mine
A fairy godmother
in herringbone tweed
she dispensed joy
and bestowed confidence
gifting emeralds with glee.
IMAGE: Watercolor rainbow gemstone paintings by Elle Aiche. Prints available at etsy.com.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I hope anyone who had a grandparent (or friend or family member) who offered them nurture and encouragement will connect with the experience in this poem.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gail Tirone is originally from New York and now lives in Houston, Texas. She’s a Best of the Net nominee and a finalist for the Red Mountain Poetry Prize, 2020. She has a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.A. in English from the University of Houston. Her poetry has appeared in Hawaii Pacific Review, The Hong Kong Review, Mediterranean Poetry, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, The Weight of Addition Anthology, and elsewhere. Read her interview on Writing about Place in The Hong Kong Review.