I don't remember where this thought came from, but in cleaning out things, I came across a notebook with bits and pieces of an unfinished poem, and I put it together into this now finished poem. I am including my ocean watercolor, started, but not finished, of Hatchet Cove in Maine, where our home we are renovating is located. For now we will be elsewhere. I will finish it when we get back.
Ocean's Hunger
The hungry mouths of waves begin
to gnash and gnaw, the sand pulled in;
Earth doesn't struggle with the tides
Though back and forth the grains
collide.
They gurgle, rush in ocean's throat
As salty stew stirs them to float;
Away the grains are drawn to sink
To shift, to shape, to form new brink;
My settling heels record the debt
And we are left to marvel yet
How all the world is set in motion
Through faithful tides of famished ocean,
How edges of our world collapse,
Bits carried far away perhaps
To surface once again all cleansed,
A seascape through some other lens,
Sating still a mind and soul
With crumbs of shore the ocean stole.
by Donna JT Smith, 2019
Visit Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading today to see other poets' and poetry lovers' postings!
It's so nice to see you in Maine! Oh, if only I could be that buyer you are looking for. That winter window is gorgeous. I am wishing you a productive sorting time and quick sale.
ReplyDeleteI love the sense of hunger, eating, tasting, swallowing in this poem...it brings the ocean right to the reader. I hope you always have at least a crumb of ocean.
I'm hoping for a quick sale, now that we are at least starting the process in earnest. Hired a wonderful realtor with connections to lots of resources and we are getting amazing amounts of work done in a short space of time. When we get back we will be in our renovated home that is across the street from the ocean. I'll get plenty of crumbs then!!
DeleteSo beautiful! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping in, Ruth! I've missed so much time here lately!
DeleteI'm headed to the ocean soon, Donna, to taste and feel some grains myself. This is beautiful & nostalgic too. I imagine you miss the waves very much. Best wishes on your sale. Someone is out there who will love your wonderful place.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your ocean time, Linda, I will miss it, but I will get back there eventually!
DeleteYour poem pairs nicely with the ocean haiku that Robyn shared this week.
ReplyDelete"And we are left to marvel yet
How all the world is set in motion
Through faithful tides of famished ocean..."
Marvel, indeed!
Oooh, I will have to try to pop on over there soon. Thanks, Mary Lee.
DeleteWhat a beautiful place to create beautiful poetry! Ocean's Hunger is lovely!
ReplyDeleteThe back window is where I usually sit to write, often watching the deer or turkeys. It’s very peaceful.
DeleteDonna, I know how much you love Maine and the nearby ocean. It is depicted beautifully in your verse, photos, and artwork. Beautiful stirring thought: And we are left to marvel yet/How all the world is set in motion. I would like to capture your tranquil winter scene for my Winter's Embrace Gallery that might surface this coming winter. I am also wondering if you would like to offer your ocean poem and artwork for a spring gallery but I can't make a screenshot.
ReplyDeleteIf you would like to offer your artwork and poem, I will figure out how to get it to a gallery page-please let me know.
DeleteI will see if I can steal a few moments for myself tomorrow and get that for you. Thanks, Carol.
DeleteWith crumbs of shore the ocean stole. WOW, this line is crazy-good! I know it must be hard to leave this cabin you've loved... I'm sure you'll find a buyer quick. So glad you popped in, Donna. xo
ReplyDeleteBeen crazy busy packing and sorting - every muscle is whimpering tonight!
DeleteSo much beauty--in your log home, the ocean, your watercolor (I hope you'll share again once you finish) and your poem. I love the restless beauty of the waves you capture.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kay!
DeleteSo much work but it will be worth it. I love the painting...I grew up on the coast of Massachusetts and know several similar locations. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is all worth it. Thanks, Donna!
DeleteI like your painting, Donna! So many talents :-) Good luck with your sale. You certainly keep a lot of kites in the air!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tabatha! Yes...I currently have a couple kites too many, but as long as they are all still flying, I guess I’m okay!
DeleteYour painting is beautiful. I wish you so much luck on selling this home. The poem could be in Oregon as well.
ReplyDeleteWhy, yes it could! I imagine we have some of your grains of sand and vice versa!
DeleteThe house is beautiful! I wish I could snatch it up...perhaps I can convince my husband to relocate :) Good luck with all the preparations. I hope that it will be a quick sale for you.
ReplyDeleteLove both the poem and the painting. I imagine there will be some sadness at leaving, but still hope you find a buyer who will appreciate it as much as you do.
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ReplyDeleteGlad you could pop in Donna. Beautiful poem and watercolor you have going. I'm glad you'll still have a home in Maine. All the best with selling the gorgeous one pictured here. I've painted at a rocky inlet in Maine a long time ago, it's an inspiring area.
ReplyDeleteAlo-HA Donna...spent the last few days looking at my "collection" of postcards AND found your letter, with postcard puzzle piece "Shows what they're made of: A crystal of rough, A piece of stone To withstand the tough." from 2017....tried to read the entire puzzle AND was told that page does not exist...Sending Peace & Love your way today... StanleydelGozo
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