each pearl ear drum
each salt crusted limb
drift as fragments
a lost language, searching for mother tongue
yet a treasure
found on shorelines of pink corals
and seaweed sands,
scattered like seeds thrown by journeyman
here lies wisdom
that earth never tires in its birthing
here is joy, waiting to flow unto us
scooped by my hand
the sun glistens glorious orange peel
and wind whirls tropical dance
the shells turn their sides, folding pattern
over and over, until whorled shapes become
towers, chapels, chimes, violins & blooms
i gather the harvest from the sea
arranged on crystal bowl, dry-framed-
they remind me of home
Grace @ Everyday Amazing
Posted for D'verse Poets Pub- Hosted by Mary ~ I have collected sands and shells from the many beaches I have gone to when I was young ~ I have 4 bowls, this one containing the bigger finds ~ When we moved to Canada, I bottled the sands and wrapped the shells carefully so they don't break during the journey.
Thanks for the visit ~
I like 'a lost language, searching for mother tongue.' What a thoughtful poem, Grace, and what a wonderful collection. I am sure these shells and sand remind you of home...and they are things that cannot be bought. I have a bowl filled with beautiful stones from places I visited...very meaningful and irreplaceable too, just like your shells.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to accompany the sea shells on their journey...to see the world through their eyes...to see what they've seen. Just think of how many thousands of miles they've traveled...
ReplyDeleteAnd that's what I get for assuming. I assumed you were a native of Canada. My bad. I love to gather shells. Most of them end up in the back of my car for the majority of the summer though. As always, thank you!
ReplyDeleteHappy Week!
Elsie
AJ's wHooligan in the A-Z Challenge
What a great memory to keep... and I assume listen in the shell you can hear the sea.. to remember the beaches far away shells and sand has to be the best...
ReplyDeletehere lies wisdom the earth never tires of bringing....smiles...we have several buckets of sea shells around...i always think of the life that was within them...like how you insert language into this as well grace....great reminders of home...
ReplyDeleteQuite the collection indeed and yeah the earth never tires, no matter how much we try and screw it over
ReplyDeleteWant a great collection to have, Grace! It is nice that these fragments remind you of home. A colleague of mine has a collection of sands that she collects herself or that people collect for her.
ReplyDelete"here lies wisdom
ReplyDeletethat earth never tires in its birthing
here is joy, waiting to flow unto us ..."
What a hinge! Between what is and what we create from and of it which accompanies us wherever we are. I too have a collection, depleted by finally lining each new garden with shells and stones and twigs from the past.
I long to be by the sea and this makes that longing even more powerful. At least I'll be near one come June. :)
ReplyDeleteThe sea is such a great and powerful place to relax and just let the mind wander.
ReplyDeleteVery well done Grace. I liked it very much >KB
ReplyDeleteThe line that especially caught my eye and ear is 'the sun glistens glorious orange peel', and the parallel between the lost mother tongue and the lost seashore, with your treasure memories...
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that you took so much care to pack up your sea treasures when you moved to Canada. I had a similar affinity to the sea when I was little, having been brought up in the middle of the country, and far from the beach! What a beautiful journey through your shells!
ReplyDeleteYes, I so know this carrying the beach with me. I have shells and rocks all over my small place.........Grace, check out cbc.ca/Books and click under contests - there is a poetry contest going on with big stakes - closing date May 1st. Check it out! Your work is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip Sherry ~ Will check it out ~
DeleteThis is really beautiful Grace. Those first 3 stanzas really drew me in.
ReplyDeleteThere is certainly something magical/mystical about sea shells...perhaps it's because they come from a world that we can only visit, and never truly inhabit. Beautiful poem!
ReplyDeleteLovely! And I collect shells too and have in jars!
ReplyDeletenext to the garden... the sea one of my favorite places to explore... loved this line "scattered like seeds thrown by journeyman"
ReplyDeletenext to the garden... the sea one of my favorite places to explore... loved this line "scattered like seeds thrown by journeyman"
ReplyDeleteHow "delicious." Descriptions like those you might expect from Mary Oliver.
ReplyDeleteTreasures from the sea - oh how this one touched my heart.
ReplyDeleteLovely poem Grace, your treasures you express so beautifully with the love and affection you have for them. Well done.
ReplyDeletei have a shell collection too...such precious treasures and memories your poem evokes!
ReplyDeleteHome contained in a little shell collection...poignant moving!
ReplyDeleteI never tire of the beach - and the treasures it shares daily
ReplyDelete...after my own heart; art(ifacts) from the sea, poems unto themselves...love this special collection that is a treasure in your home.
ReplyDeleteHere lies wisdom, that earth never tires in its birthing ... They remind me of home
ReplyDeleteIt is truly amazing and a treasure, you express it so well, Grace! Beautiful.
i gather a lot of sea harvest too. a basket of shells sit on my kitchen counter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to say about the shells Grace......... U have done a beautiful poem
ReplyDeleteIncredibly beautiful Grace!! :-)
ReplyDeletethis has a very peaceful...or maybe tranquil is a better word...feel to it.
ReplyDeletethe sea has much too offer. no matter how old you are it is always fun to find these treasures. lovely write.
Gorgeous piece, Grace. :)
ReplyDeletei've never lived far from the ocean for any length of time. not sure how i'd do with an extended distance ~
ReplyDelete