My Ordinary
The geese have long since
v'd their way south,
bare feet have been replaced with boots,
yet I still
sink footprints into chilled sand,
tide fills them up,
makes them disappear;
a wonder of which I never tire.
My heart pounds yet isn't heard
above roaring surf,
an exhilaration that is commonplace,
at least for me.
I pity the ones who never know
the wonder of a flock of seagulls
lifting in unison, filling horizon with swoops
and angled wings, riding ocean's breeze
beneath clouds that tell me
it's time to settle inside, before a warm fire,
before the snow descends,
book in hand, cat on lap,
all the while thanking God
this is my ordinary.
by Margaret Bednar, November 28, 2018
A poem I am resurrecting - I wrote it for a dVerse Poets Pub challenge two years ago. I am now linking it up with "Earthweal - Open Link Weekend #49" I live year-round in the mountains of NC, but I visit the east coast every few months and admit I love the sun and surf of summer but there is something special about a winter beach...
I believe this challenge is supposed to address current issues with earth's environmental challenges and I will ponder it more closely for next week.
8 comments:
Your ordinary seems pretty extraordinary to me!!!
Beautifully evoked and I loved the line, "I pity the ones who never know
the wonder of a flock of seagulls"
Great stuff!
I love your ordinary, Margaret, the thought of leaving footprints, whether barefoot or booted, watching them fill with the tide, and tracking a flock of seagulls. I love the way you paint them with words:
‘lifting in unison, filling horizon with swoops
and angled wings, riding ocean's breeze’.
sometimes, the ordinary is the best. :)
i used to cycle to a park and beach near my home just to watch the ocean, watch the sea birds "lifting in unison", and smell the salty breeze. these ordinary activities just seem to calm the soul.
enjoyed reading your poem, and thanks for the visit to my blog.
Your ordinary sounds just fine to me!
Your ordinary is an exhilaration i share here on the west coast. Winter beaches are my favourite, the waves so huge and wild. This poem, being about love of nature, is a perfect fit at earthweal, in my opinion. Lovely to see you there, Margaret. One person commented she was unable to leave a comment here. Am not sure what the problem is.
I would take the beach any time of year myself. Maybe next year...
The ordinary here is like plainsong -- a long soothing refrain. Lapped by eternal tides and sharing that job. Thanks so for bringing it to earthweal.
To have the sea and flocks of seagulls for your 'ordinary' is what most of us would consider bliss. Those 'swoops with angled wings' —prefect.
Post a Comment