Breakage
I go down to the edge of the sea.
How everything shines in the morning light!
The cusp of the whelk,
the broken cupboard of the clam,
the opened, blue mussels,
moon snails, pale pink and barnacle scarred—
and nothing at all whole or shut, but tattered, split,
dropped by the gulls onto the gray rocks and all the moisture gone.
It's like a schoolhouse
of little words,
thousands of words.
First you figure out what each one means by itself,
the jingle, the periwinkle, the scallop
full of moonlight.
Then you begin, slowly, to read the whole story.
Skywatch Friday
6 Comments
Awesome capture and gorgeous skies, Sandy, and beautiful words as well!! Hope your week has gone well!!
ReplyDeleteWe breathe together on opposite seas
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
<3
Mary Oliver is a national treasure. How beautifully she can express what we feel. Thank you for sharing and for your illustration.
ReplyDeletesuch a wonderful poem
ReplyDeletefor some reason blogger is not showing me your photo.... darn
I love the poem, but your photo is not appearing.
ReplyDeleteYes, the photo isn't loading, Sandy, but your words are wonderful and gave me a reason to pause and reflect! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here.