We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

26.3.18

Deepest Love


For the (fictional) series, "Edges"
His Voice 


Deepest Love

Rinse away the grey
from my heart, blue ocean!
Tip out the sludge
from my soul, upending that
as the swift surf tosses me
when I'm careless or cocky.

I savour your salty kiss, dear sea!
Who needs mistletoe? You give me 
drowned weeds, intricate shells,
the weathered ribs of dead ships,
jewel-like fragments of glass
with the cutting edge smoothed.

Whimsical, skittish, moody,
even downright dangerous – 
still, you have never hindered
me from living my truth. Here
with you, I am free to be silly
or wise, stormy or placid ...

I am, perhaps, a reflection
of you, my true companion.
I drink you in, mother's milk. Or 
am I becoming other? Apparently fish, 
to disport in the shallows. Then 
shall I turn, dive, sound the depths?


Linking to Poets United's Poetry Pantry #414

25 comments:

  1. My exposure to the sea has been very limited. Thanks for giving a landlocked girl a taste of what she is missing.

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    1. Well, it's not written in my voice – I am no surfer! – but still we draw on what we know: I did grow up on an island, and have mostly been a coastal dweller ever since. And I'm an inveterate beach-comber. I used to bring home bags full of stones, shells, pieces of driftwood; much of which I still have around my house and garden ... now I take photos instead. I'm glad I gave you a taste of the sea and the shore. Thanks for saying so.

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  2. Loved this, needless to say. I used to haul home rocks, shells and driftwood. Am limited for space now so had to stop.

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  3. I enjoyed this all over again, my friend. Wonder-full!

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  4. I really enjoyed this poem, Rosemary. It speaks of your wonderful relationship with the sea...in vivid detail.

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  5. Was born near the shore of the Pacific Ocean, but grew up, surrounded by the Great Lakes basin of North America. Which has its own majestic nature that is often overlooked.

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  6. superb imagery and flow to this piece - just like lapping waves

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  7. I've also had such sea experiences. Such a savoury spread of words! Gorgeous!

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  8. 'Rinse away the grey
    from my heart, blue ocean!'
    These opening lines made me want to dive into this poem, Rosemary! I also love:
    'I savour your salty kiss, dear sea!
    Who needs mistletoe? You give me
    drowned weeds, intricate shells,
    the weathered ribs of dead ships,
    jewel-like fragments of glass
    with the cutting edge smoothed'.
    If I hadn't been planning a trip to the beach today, I think your poem would have given me the urge.

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  9. My goodness!💞 This is such a passionate write, Rosemary! I love "Here with you, I am free to be silly or wise, stormy or placid." 😊

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  10. Most of my life I have lived but a few miles from the sea and it is as though I belong there too. It looks as though this has been passed on to our children as well!

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  11. I have had the privilege to be near to sea in my childhood and it was mesmerizing!

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  12. "I savour your salty kiss, dear sea!
    Who needs mistletoe?"
    Nice🤗

    Happy Sunday to you Rosemary

    Much💟love

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  13. how well you give us a visual of the sea.!
    "drowned weeds"!

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  14. "the weathered ribs of dead ships"...oof. I loved your entire poem, but that line was wonderful! I love the ocean and rarely get to see it.

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  15. "Who needs mistletoe?" indeed. If we want the kiss, if we need the kiss, if we want and need and wish the taste of the sea always near... we craft it ourselves.

    Love the tone of this speaker's determination.

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  16. A wonderful poem, reminds me of home.

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  17. I love the sea for all those reasons... and a part of me want to leave someday and be one with sea... in the meantime I have to play with the waves as I can.

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  18. i love the ocean! and this is a great ode!

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  19. Thanks for a quick trip to the beach! Love the way the narrator gets a chance to play--we all need that.

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  20. Oh, yes, I feel the waves, pulling and tipping and giving me gifts, but most of taste the salt kiss. I've got to get to the seas again!

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  21. Lovely imagery in this evocative poem. The opening stanza is a fabulous, stirring shake-the-cobwebs-off salvo to a rousing, spirited and life-loving piece. I enjoyed your nod to keepsakes gathered in our communes with nature - for I have found them to magically evoke 'that' moment when we happened upon them … again and again … long after. A wonderful bit of writing, Rosemary.

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  22. I often hear the ocean's call. It brings me a sense of peace when I am dealing with a storm.

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  23. Enjoyed this “vacation” by the sea. Love early morning and evening walks listening to the waves and the birds.

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