Jesse Mavro Diamond is an internationally published poet whose work has graced publications in the United States, Ireland, and Greece. Her evocative verses explore themes of identity, nature, and human connection, resonating with diverse audiences. In her latest publication, “Ode To A Lute,” featured in Aeolian Harp Anthology Series 10, she demonstrates a mastery of lyrical expression and innovative form. Diamond’s creative voice and commitment to her craft have firmly established her as a compelling figure in contemporary poetry, earning critical acclaim both at home and abroad.

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The Fountain

Have faith, /Old heart. / What is living, anyway, /
But dying?
Known to Be Left, Sharon Olds

The town square holds a fountain,
a foreign place yet known.
We stand watching the water fall,
then turn to find a glass of wine somewhere.

When you are gone,
I’ll watch the water:
stars falling from a faraway
time and place.

When I am gone,
come to this place
Seek the half full glass as a tuckered tulip seeks water
binding it to one more day.

Yes, we will be gone from each other.
We will each live on in some far, foreign place
Where crocus bulbs hold petal memory
of poking through frigid ground.

What is living anyway but dying?
What is true love after all
But a foreign place where we are known
only to each other.

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SELF LESS

Despite calling herself a physical coward,
Her Irish mother was very brave.
Beginning as a child, the journey
To discover her true self was

Blunted by the men who bagged her
Like tea, ripping the paper, scattering the leaves,
Crushing them beneath their selfish shoes.
She spent her life gathering remnants,

Saving them in her soul’s apron pockets.
This selflessness cornered her at times,
Cowered her, left her paying
The victim’s wretched toll.

But bravery can only be born from fear.
Nights of days, days of nights breathing,
               laboring, year after year.