and here I meet myself gazing at the sea shells
broken empty, scattered bones along lake shore
the water pierces, cold needles, yet steady is its pull
& turning: a young voice, so carefree, echoes-
collecting shell by shell, scooping fine coral sands
into an empty water bottle, lying awake at night
& listening to their stories as waves break & I fall
asleep under the simple bamboo hut of an island,
the whole world is a spiral conch on my tiny hand
& falling to pieces, I leave these all behind:
a box of school photos, old family recipes, party
dresses & typewritten love letters with fading kisses-
in search for something greater/beyond the sea,
cities became bigger and wider, the roads
multiplied & crisscrossed, stretching far as my eyes can fly,
but the words & the look in your face never leaves me-
beautiful as a seagull gliding amidst the warming summer sky-
& the tide turns ever so gently
and here I meet myself gazing at the sea shells
Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - It is my pleasure to welcome you to another OpenLinkNight. Thanks for the visit.
Inspiration from Love after Love by Derek Walcott - Thanks to Kim of Real Toads
the whole world is a spiral conch in my hand...smiles....love the laying there listening to their stories as well...leaving behind all those things and yet coming back to that gaze...evocative...and in the end it being you....very cool grace...
ReplyDeletethanks for hosting tonight...smiles.
Yes, it is ~ Thanks always for the support Brian ~
Deletewhat we leave in search for something greater....it's tough but worth the journey if it holds what we expected... love that you found yourself in the face of the sea.. and happy oln...smiles
ReplyDeleteSometimes new, sometimes old ~ Thanks Claudia ~
DeleteBeautiful, Grace. I like how the walk along the beach triggered memories and how the meeting of oneself both began and ended the poem. Despite the changes life has brought, there is a peacefulness about this poem. I will be around dVerse a bit later, Grace. Look forward to it.
ReplyDeleteI love this Grace.. and Brian picked my favorite part as well... love this ...
ReplyDeleteI really liked "the whole world is a spiral chonch in my hand." Very nice all together.>KB
ReplyDelete"the whole world is a spiral conch on my tiny hand"
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful, grace, and thank you for hosting!
Reminds me of a glorious week I spent on Cayman Brac, scuba diving and enjoying the sea. Captures the feeling of that very well.
ReplyDeleteThis is one long spiral of love, it keeps spinning back in upon itself in a very beautiful way.
ReplyDeleteseashells
ReplyDeleteand coral sands—
life’s fading kisses
Love your poetic response Frank ~ Smiles ~
DeleteIntrospective and beautiful. Very nice piece.
ReplyDeleteoh...this just took my breath away, Grace. Amazing work.
ReplyDeleteGrace, this is so beautiful. Your words woven in such a lovely way and the sadness within. I too adored the line, "the whole world is a spiral conch on my tiny hand". Brought back a happy memory of being on the beach when each shell or pebble was to be prized.
ReplyDeleteA spiralling world - so true and beautifully put.
ReplyDelete"broken empty, scattered bones along lake shore
ReplyDeletethe water pierces, cold needles, yet steady is its pull"
beautiful!
Though your narrator walks among broken shells, bones of another time, the self she meets is alive, curious, smiling. How wonderful to keep her alive!
ReplyDeletethematically and structurally cohesive, lyric and evocative: beautiful write, Heaven. :) ~ M
ReplyDeleteI spent a all my childhood and some of my adult years living near the ocean. As much as I love the high desert of the Sierras and the California desert, you make me a bit homesick.
ReplyDeleteThis was wonderfully beautiful. I like how it takes the reader along cinematically, as though the camera was mounted on a swiveling, out-zooming tripod. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeletelovely, lovely. your opening is soft and certain and marries your ending wonderfully... the whole in the middle reads like a growing-up but not away-from. beautiful.
ReplyDeleteletting go of fading kisses, but always returning, listening -
ReplyDelete"the tide turns ever so gently
and here I meet myself gazing at the sea shells"
there's a sensual satisfying completeness in this work grace, thank you :-)
A full circle from beginning to the end. Beautiful, Grace.
ReplyDeleteah, beyond the sea, beyond the sea.....
ReplyDeleteFelt like I was on the beach too. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteHi Grace, As you probably knew I would, I really love: "meet myself gazing..." and works beautifully at both the beginning and the end - which ain't easy to do... Also what a terrifically captured visceral moment: "the water pierces, cold needles, yet steady is its pull..." My feet have been there too!
ReplyDeleteI love those lines too Scott ~ The lake water was really cold though ~ Smiles ~
DeleteHave to see what is beyond I suppose, can always go back but if you don't take a risk, never know for sure
ReplyDeletea blur of images and thoughts - well done Grace.
ReplyDeleteSo so beautiful Heaven, your writing has just gripped me tonight, I'm absolutely in love with it, not just this post but all your work.
ReplyDeleteAmazing the treasures you can gather on the shore:)
ReplyDeleteI agree on those treasures ~ I keep them all in clear vases ~ Thank you ~
Deletecompletely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what you see as you are lulled to sleep by the sounds of the shells. What is beyond the sea..that captures you and then releases you to find yourself.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we need to go away to find and see ourselves with new eyes ~ Thanks for the lovely comment Truedessa ~
Delete'but the words & the look in your face never leaves me- '-these words really resonate with me...nice to feel free and in one with nature...my favorite place to wander-along the seashore...
ReplyDeleteYour poem has the feeling of tides and waves sweeping towards me and then away...travelling from the images of specifics and back to me, ending gently in a foamy ripple..and here I meet myself gazing at the sea shells." Lovely write.~jackie~
ReplyDeleteNow that is a place I'd love to go and get lost in order to find myself again...
ReplyDeletea vivid description
ReplyDeleteThere are some scenes that seer themselves into our memories and feed us for years leaving us grateful.
ReplyDeleteGood to have fond memories, if there are any!
ReplyDeleteThoughtful and reflective, the sea shore can have that effect. Smooth flow, good write.
ReplyDeletehot sun, wafty breeze, gentle surf, cool waters, white and pink coral sand, precious shells...
ReplyDeleteplus ice cold beer...
make happy memories.
Though inspired by another, this poem is so you. It's mellow tone, romantic vibes and beautiful choice of words make it purely your talent. Sounds like you really enjoy the beach. If you're still there, have fun.
ReplyDeleteGrace, a beautiful capture of the moment, it makes the reader want to be there. I miss the beach so much, as we live inland.
ReplyDeletePamela
A delicious twist at the end that I hadn't expected. Wonderful.
ReplyDelete"here I meet myself"
ReplyDeleteThat's what it's like when I go to the beach to visit my thoughts. I love this, Grace. Thank you!! Have a beautiful weekend!!
Grace, I love every word of this. Thank you for the peaceful feeling you have given me.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so that's really a famous old peom, right. From the 1920s, say? FABULOUS!! You have a way of grabbing nature's reality and spillling it from your conch like no other modern poet.
ReplyDeleteJust perfectly HEAVENly.
xoxoox
and did i really write peom? I meant pome!! :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice Heaven.
ReplyDelete.......dhole
This is beautiful, Grace. There is always a part of us that remains where we came from. Somehow, the remembrance of that life brings not only sweet memories but also a sense of stability and rootedness (no matter how much better or bigger the new life and home is). :-)
ReplyDeleteBest regards, Imelda
Memories like the sea shells washed up onto the shore. Nice.
ReplyDelete