MEDITATION

So often when I go to an ocean beach where there are more gentle waves to bring a broken shell line upon the sand, it was fascinating to me to kneel and pick out the tiniest sea shells. Some were as small as the head of a pin. It became a very meditative

 

 

 

Wet sand sinks beneath my weight,

as seafoam nuzzles at my ankles.

The smallest seashell,

the size of a grain of sand,

lies in my hand.

Amazing, how each one

is different.

On my knees, I bow my face

toward the earth.

The cold wind blows against my skin.

My fingers numb and red

gently caress the broken

shell line to find the gems of time.

Each unique,

of every kind, yet

the same.

Some, two halves make a whole;

Snail shells spiral inward.

Broken pieces are evidence

of the mystery.

12/06/2000

Author's Note

This poem was written at a time when I was very ill with diabetes and did not know it. The poetry had returned in 1997, and more of a personal diary of my evolution.

Reviews

[Ed Hart]

this is a good poem, not only personal, but telling...it takes some ease with the trials of life to slow your pace enough to write this, to handle the words just so, to tell us how you see the whole in the pieces, comforting, private, this is a good poem...

[V. K. Harris]

The smell of salt air and sounds of crashing waves are felt in this read. Beautifully written.

[Phil Sanders]

Lovely descriptive verse ... it lives .....

[Emily B]

Broken pieces are evidence of the mystery . . . what an awesome, awe-inspiring line. The biggest truths are hidden in the places we'd least expect to find them. Wow!

[Misa]

Hey...
first, l love the imagery to this. I've never been to the beach myself - at least nothing that was likely to have shells like this - but you had me imagining it easily.
Loved the thoughts behind it, but there were one or two things l noticed could be improved.
first, there was a simple typo - nuzzles ats

And second, the number of times you use sand in the first half. l think one or two of them could be taken out, because it didn't seem to help w/ repetition in this case.
lol, other than that though.. reads smoothly, and l love what you have to say. :)

[Travis Lawrence]

Love the whole illusion to the question, are we all different or are we all the same? Your writing is evocative. When I read this poem, I fly to where you were in that moment, and feel the sand sinking beneath me. Well done.

Have a nice day!

[Shadows of Sight]

Oh yes! I can feel the wind and that sand grit that blows into the eye's and the little shell in your fingers, and the ones that get stuck between bare toes!
This was a wonderful moment for you i can tell.
Thank you for sharing it.

[Brenda Sue]

Very well written. Wonderfully penned. Great job.