Brian Doyle, author of the work “Joyas Volardores”, uses strong detail and key concepts specifically imagery, important words and a variety of literary strategy to guide and prepare the reader for impact of this interpretative text. Doyle’s examples plainly portray animal-human resemblance. This work of art’s overall message is not visible until the reader considers these examples in their entirety. These scenarios draw attention to shape, size, and species which adds to the overall perception of the word canvas. Every form of being is “being” from humming birds, blue whales, and tortoises to fish, insects, worms, and even unicellular bacteria. At final glance we view this text as a warning. We are given one and only one precious gift, life. Doyle intentionally leaves the cat metaphors out of his writing none of his ideas suggest do-overs or nine lives to spare. Doyle makes it evident that the lifestyles we choose determine the fate of our short, long, fast or slow existences. 

Striking imagery is used to lure the reader’s attention towards these clues left behind like bread crumbs by Doyle leading us to final interpretation of the theoretical meaning in plain sight. “Nine times removed from ours, their hearts hammering faster than we could clearly hear if we pressed our elephantine ears to their infinitesimal chests.” (94) This allows the reader to feel the first comparison between itself and the animal examples within the work. The reader begins to realize this irregular connection of not human dislike animal but human similar to animal. As the reader continues this close analyzation of text they see the whole idea of the work associating different human lifestyles with individual species. “A hummingbird’s heart is the size of a pencil eraser. A hummingbird’s heart is a lot of the hummingbird.” (94) This example represents the reality of just how fragile and priceless the heart is. The heart wholly takes and makes up the hummingbird. Think about the hearts of humans they may not solely take up our bodies size wise but figuratively this organ is what allows us to be whole, to be who we are by continuously pumping and granting us existence to become our own. The heart of a certain thing is “a lot” of the certain thing because the heart is what fully makes a person or object live, breathe, think, act and survive no matter what side of the food chain it is on. If we are explicating this example as the hummingbird or the human, the heart is everyone’s entirety.   “They can dive at sixty miles an hour. They can fly backwards. They can fly more than five hundred miles without pausing to rest… if they do not soon find that which is sweet, their hearts grow cold, and they cease to be.” (95) The capability of the hummingbird is infinite. Humans and animals can complete any task when a challenge is accepted and goals and determination are set. But when these tasks/jobs begin to slow down and there is nothing left but a medal, a paycheck, or even a presumptuous title to claim as your own you will return to a sad home and there will be no “sweet” or flowers to fly to. Just like the tired hungry birds we will crash and burn. It’s the consequence and inevitability to flying past and through the one life you are given. “Each thunderous wild heart the size of an infant’s fingernail, each mad heart silent, a brilliant music stilled.” (95) This signals a mental image of an intense uncontrolled pounding heart exhibiting “the fast” lifestyle, living a checklist life (one thing after another in the quickest way possible), and soaring through the motions without path or pace. We picture that the actual hearts become meniscal in this scenario by the way the author suggests how they become tiny when they put effort towards everything which is equivalent to nothing. This irrational beating heart will fade when “rest” hits and their lifestyle of living for motion not meaning pauses or when they are “starving” for more than just food. The phrase “which is sweet” indicates the importance and necessity of personal relationships that sustain you as a person. This will become a wasted melody of heart and will never be heard IF suppressed by one’s own wrong life choice, so choose wisely. “It’s expensive to fly. You burn out. You fry the machine. You melt the engine.” (95) If you live in the fast lane you will eventually burn out. It literally and figuratively takes a toll on your health and well-being. “The biggest heart in the world is inside the blue whale… It’s as big as a room. It is a room, with four chambers. A child could walk around in it, head high, bending only to step through the valves.” (95) This indicates biggest creatures have room size hearts in order to have them walked on. Text states how much is unknown about this mammal specifically but what is known is that they go through life in pairs and look after one another. They open up the doors to their hearts and allow people in while slowly swimming through life day to day. These mammals are usually the ones with longest life lines. “Unicellular bacteria have no hearts at all; but even they have fluid eternally in motion, washing from one side of the cell to the other, swirling and whirling.” (96) We are all coexisting and moving forward everyday towards a greater reward, the next gift. (in some human’s case life after death)

The author uses important phrases to convey caution by stating facts with internal deeper meaning. “Joyas volardores, flying jewels.” (94) By defining the title of this prose poem we receive a silent signal which implies: beware precious masterpieces view your life as if was on a value scare from one to ten where does your fate fall. Remember you only get one chance to master your form of flight. You are on the edge of a nest are you enjoying this view or are you thinking about what you are going to do next after the second you land, if you land. Quit wasting your predestined heart beats ready, set, jump! “Every creature on earth has approximately two billion heartbeats to spend in a lifetime.” (95) Fun fact Doyle suggests that we are walking and talking hourglasses. What more does he have to do to get our attention to realize the reality of limited existence. Make your allotted heart beats meaningful. “Largest hearts in the world generally travel in pairs.” (96) Allowing others to enter their heart homes and to exist with them while figuring out this life, love, and hurt together.

Other nonspecific literary elements insinuate along the lines of the same overall theme. “You can spend them slowly, like a tortoise and live to be two hundred years old, or you can spend them fast, like a hummingbird, and live to be two years old. “(95) These similes clearly point to the understanding that you choose the ending of your own story whether it be abrupt, prolonged, the summary or extended version it is up to you so leave a record of something worth someone wasting heartbeats over to reflect upon. “No living being is without interior liquid motion. We all churn inside.” (96) No form of being is never in action. We all want to belong, we all try to be a part of the bigger picture, and we all want to feel whether it’s the basic gift of life or feelings past this surface.

Through heavy details, metaphors, and many elements Brian Doyle strongly affects us with emotion and provides guidance to those who willingly want to heed his cautionary advice or prose poem. We have one chance. We are given one gift of life. Form relationships, get hurt, love, feel, and all of the above. Our heart walls and barriers will get torn down no matter how many times and how strong we build them it is inevitable. Take this treasured opportunity to truly exist once very seriously, good luck flying jewels. 
