Ode to Seashells
~May you always have a shell in your pocket, and sand in your shoes.
The seashell seems such a tiny thing, oddly shaped yet perfectly strong,
Like so many things, found in rivers and streams,
Daily pushed and then pulled along.
Long ago, I was oddly curious and in love with the sand and sea,
Their treasures untold so great to behold,
Often got the better of me.
Likening myself to pirates of old, I lost myself in the day,
The whole world behind me, my mom couldn't find me,
Digging seashells up from the bay.
Looking up at the sea as I labored, it's glory sunk into my soul,
And as the red setting sun touched the sea they were one,
The epiphany consuming me whole.
Digging the sand for a number of years, I'd never observed the sea,
Fate cannot measure or define the great pleasure,
That awakened inside of me.
And now as I look it defines who I am, wild, impassioned and free
A child with a shell who survived their own hell,
At one with the raging sea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a collection of seashells that I've been collecting since childhood. Each one holds a precious memory that is part of me, but for all that, these little things continually remind me of the power of the ocean; the things we can see, and love, things that become part of us, but that we can never truly possess.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was written for the Ode to the Ordinary challenge, linked below:
https://vocal.media/challenges/ode-to-ordinary
About the Creator
Veronica Coldiron
I'm a mild-mannered project accountant by day, a free-spirited writer, artist, singer/songwriter the rest of the time. Let's subscribe to each other! I'm excited to be in a community of writers and I'm looking forward to making friends!
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Keep reading
More stories from Veronica Coldiron and writers in Poets and other communities.
Reaching Out
I promise her. I'd do anything for her. She's my mom. Even as Lanie and Deanna are flying home, Mom is scrappy fighting dying. She lays too still in that too-big bed with all the toasty white hospital blankets, in the south tower, at the broad end of a long slow-turning corner that delivers me again to her private room with the view she can't see through, with the beeping that tells us nothing new, and all these ice chips she can't swallow, and a flood of well-intentioned nurses who cannot do a damned thing all the same.
By Christy Munson5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (20)
Beautiful poem, Veronica! Makes me yearn for Cape Cod, where we spend most of the summer, and whenever we can in the rest of the year.
This was beautiful well done
As an artist, when you can make your reader cry....well, you are great. I felt your pain and my own in this beautiful poem. Thank you!
This is such a beautiful poem in so many ways - the picture I have of you as a little girl is warm but also tinged with sadness. I love seashells and have my own collection. I also love sea glass when I can find it. I like to wonder where it's come from.
Well said, talk about she sells, sea shells by the shore am I right? Lol Jk, though I like you keep some. I also keep little rocks and use them as a “grateful rock.” Nice work
Excellent work
This is like Magic ✨ ❤️😉📝👍💯 Great Job-
I love how much world you sit inside a sea shell.
This was such a beautiful ode and sentiment to share with your readers Veronica! I love that each one holds a memory for you and I love the idea of looking back on them like a road map of how far you've come in life! Such a beautiful idea!
This was so evocative and powerful! Seashells are quite ordinary, and freely available along any seashore. Yet, in your collecting of them, they home past memories like hermit crabs. A gentle reminder of how far you’ve come. 🐚
Wonderful words and beautiful images
A child with a shell who survived their own hell, At one with the raging sea. These lines resonance so deeply with me! Such a gorgeous poem! I used to have a collection of seashells too but somehow I lost them 🥺
Stunning piece, Veronica. I definitely felt the joy of the ordinary. Thank you. The last photo is amazing!!!!!! I want to hang it on my wall.
Beautiful piece, Veronica. Well done.
gorgeous work Veronica! Thanks 4 sharing!
I love this beautiful poem.
Brilliant & beautiful!!! Loved your line, "Their treasures untold so great to behold," Love this!!!♥️♥️💕
Beautifully penned and a wonderful story with a lesson. Well done, Veronica!
Loved that last line! This was so much more than seashells. Beautiful 🤩
A most charming bit of ode to the shells, we all love them, very nice