Nautilus, broken

Partially embedded in the sand,

a nautilus, chambered, broken

perhaps by driftwood or a foot,

carelessly trod until the crunch

was heard. Pieces glisten

in their sheen; the sound of the sea

fractured yet still identifiable.

This poem is submitted for Open Link Night at dVerse Poets. To see more poems, please visit dVerse Poets. The links will be live at 2 p.m. Central time today.

Photography by Petr Kratochvil via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

Listening to the shell

I listened to the shell

cupped against my ear,

a slight hint of the roar

of the sea,

a wisp of the salt smell

of the sea,

a bare trace of the creature

that had lived within,

whispering its echoes

of the waves

of the sea.

I held the shell

cupped in my hand

and imagined infinity.

This poem is submitted for Open Link Night at dVersePoets. To see more poems, please visit the site. The links will be live at 2 p.m. Central time today.

Photograph: Pastel Seashell by Pennie Gibson via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.