I thought a xenolith
was space rock
but it’s earthier than that
a strange chip
from mantle or crust
sealed in magma
A xenocryst
is a single crystal
swathed this way
like sapphire in basalt,
zircon in granite
spinel, peridot, garnet—
and kimberlite’s diamond
Photo by Mike C on Pexels.com
Discover more from Wordflower poetry & fiction
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
So beautifully written, C! Xenoliths are rocks embedded in magma while it was cooling.
LikeLiked by 2 people
yes! they can be found in meteorites as well as in earth rocks
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, and there are different types of xenoliths, like wall-rock xenoliths.
LikeLiked by 1 person
sounds like you know a lot about it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually, I was doing my research about it! ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
it’s fun learning new things!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I love learning new things every day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicely done Catherin 👏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Shaun!
LikeLike
Very interesting finding so many xenoliths here, you have made your readers into miners
much love
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Gillena!
LikeLike
Clever!
LikeLike
A quietly knowledgeable quadrille, Catherin, and I love how its shifts from exploring what a xenolith/xenocryst is to the beauty it can become.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Kim, a thoughtful comment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure, Catherin!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a wonderful take on the prompt!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sreeja!
LikeLike
I love what you found when searching for the xenoliths
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Bjorn, it’s nice to learn new stuff!
LikeLike
I’d love you to take a look at some of my alphabet poems Bjorn, if you have time
LikeLike
This one has links to the others at the bottom:
https://wordflowerpoetry.com/2026/09/05/extemporisation/
LikeLike
Wonderful words for wonderful concepts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Rosemary 🙂
LikeLike
A strange chip indeed, a tour of not knowing through discovery to knowing well, beautiful lines.
LikeLiked by 1 person
ThanksPaul
LikeLike