La Pelegrina, The Pearl Poem by Sheena Blackhall

La Pelegrina, pearl to delight the eyes
Found by a slave in the gulf of Panama
Don Pedro, governor, then freed
The man for bringing to him such a prize

Philip of Spain became its royal owner
Gifted to Tudor Mary, a love token
She wore it as a pendant to a brooch
Bloody Mary, by martyr burnings broken

In Vedic texts, all pearls on earth are born
Out of the water and by moonlight's power
Some say that pearls are tears shed by the gods
Eve's eyes dropped pearls when she left her bower

Napoleon's brother, owned the gem as booty
The Duke of Abercorn, acquired her, too
Till Burton, with the money from his movies
Bought her to woo Liz Taylor, Hollywood Royalty
Cartier setting the pearl with diamonds, rubies.

In Asia a pearl necklace aids fertility
In Polynesian lore, the pearl is black
The Chinese love gold pearls: they bring prosperity

In many Eastern cultures, pearls are souls
And mourners placed them in the dead man's mouth
At Christie's in New York, La Pelegrina
Fetched ten million dollars. Such great wealth!

So, does the pearl really own the owner?
What should a glossy stone be really worth?