Pure Gold

Gold: 

(Symbol Au) A soft, yellow, corrosion-resistant element, the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in veins and alluvial deposits and recovered by mining or by panning or sluicing. A good thermal and electrical conductor, gold is generally alloyed to increase its strength, and it is used as an international monetary standard, in jewelry, for decoration, and as a plated coating on a wide variety of electrical and mechanical components. Atomic number 79; atomic weight 196.967; melting point 1,063.0°C; boiling point 2,966.0°C; specific gravity 19.32; valence 1, 3.

The symbol Au is from the Latin: aurum, according to some sources meaning "shining dawn," from Sabine ausum "glowing dawn."

Gold is the most malleable of all metals; a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of 1 square meter, or an ounce into 300 square feet. Gold leaf can be beaten thin enough to become transparent. The transmitted light appears greenish blue, because gold strongly reflects yellow and red.Such semi-transparent sheets also strongly reflect infrared light, making them useful as infrared (radiant heat) shields in visors of heat-resistant suits, and in sun-visors for spacesuits. 

Aristotle in his ethics used gold symbolism when referring to what is now commonly known as the golden mean. Similarly, gold is associated with perfect or divine principles, such as in the case of the golden ratio and the golden rule.

Gold is further associated with the wisdom of aging and fruition. The fiftieth wedding anniversary is golden. Our precious latter years are sometimes considered "golden years." The height of a civilization is referred to as a "golden age."

Something regarded as having great value or goodness.

(from Wikipedia and the Free Online Dictionary)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I think of gold 

I think of light, like the sun

warmth, like the fire

When I think of gold

I think of love, like a ring

sparkle, like champagne

I think of mystery, like the harvest moon

exotica, like the crux of a peacock's feather

When I think of gold

I think of foil, on a creamy Indian sweet

wrapping, of a 5-Star chocolate bar

I think of nine metres, shimmering shot silk

holiday chappals, Kolapurs on dusty roads

When I think of gold

I think of history past, my first friend

History present, her sons almost men

I think of two sisters singing:

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;

More to be desired are they than gold,

yea, than much fine gold ...

I think of patient Job, trusting,

"But He knows the way that I take -

 When He has tried me,

 I shall come forth as gold."

When I think of gold

I think of mining depths

sifting through detritus

testing mettle

furnace purifying

moulding 

shaping

tempering 

polishing

shining

Unto the perfect day

I think of

you