Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A Most Perfect Shell


In late afternoon chill,
he faces a dying sun,
abandoned by its oiled
and lotioned congregation.
The clouds refract the
light through dust,
radiating yellows, paling;
oranges fading, pink;
blues turning, gray.
The sand is cool on
his feet, now.
He and the boy had
searched for shells and
found a few for a slight
memory but nothing
of much consequence
except they found them
together, all they had now.
He squats to scoop sand
with his hands, the slender,
masculine fingers funneling
the grains away. He scoops
again and sees a glimmer,
half of three quarters hidden,
a reflection of color and form.
Dusting the sand away he sees
a most perfect shell,
abandoned by some mollusk
fleeing the beauty of its
house, the shell he and
the boy had sought.
Standing, he arcs the shell
into the surging waves.

To see more poems submitted for One Shot Wednesday, please visit One Stop Poetry. The links is live at 4 p.m. central time today.

Photograph: Pacific Sunset by Andrew Schmidt via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

sending it back from where it came


i like
half of three quarters hidden

L.L. Barkat said...

"he scoops again"

I liked that.

The ending felt very sad to me.

S. Etole said...

yes, a sadness lingers ...

Brian Miller said...

oh yeah i feel the sadness...and wishing perhaps for another chance...with his boy. nice one shot!

Michael said...

Oh wow. I hope you know how much I love your writings.

moondustwriter said...

there is something so bonding about seashell hunting. This quest must continue I think for the man

what a wonderful poem to ponder to the depths

Thanks for the One Shot

Moon smiles

Anonymous said...

Strong writing. I waded yet felt pulled through the writing, and then the lovely arc of the shell at the end. Great!

June_Butterfly said...

A bonding moment with a tinge of sadness.I always love to connect visual with words.And I totally love the one you used.Like a taste of what is coming when I saw it.

Always a joy to discover a treasure.A great one shot!

Carrie Van Horn said...

This is beautiful Glynn...:-)

Bubba said...

I'm a fan of beach-combing (something I don't get to indulge in often enough) so this really resonated with me. I loved "oiled and lotioned congregation" as a term for 'sun worshippers' - very apt!

Beachanny said...

I didn't see the sadness - I saw the circle of life - from the sea it came and to it returned - the beauty, the perfection, the joy and in time always so fleeting; just capture the moment..that's how I unfolded it today. Beautiful Glynn

Shashidhar Sharma said...

Dear Glynn

Its very interesting verse.. I enjoyed the way you have portrayed your thoughts... here.

ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Twitter: @VerseEveryDay
Blog: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com

Marshy said...

i leave near the coast and love spending time with the kids beachcombing...i love the passing of time.....and to return the shell...for others to discover...cheers pete

Marshy said...

for all the poetry i write...o cant even spell the word live....it should have said i live near the coast....oh well...cheers pete