when the weight of the sea settles on her shoulders,
she wears a shawl of waves and swims in starless fabric
wishing for sequins.
There is always a watcher,
a little, bobbing boat cresting each swell of her filled lungs
its crew casting nets, for sequins.
Even the sea foam does not glitter
but leaves its watermarks on sun cracked knuckles
passing hand over hand to reel in… nothing.
Caught in their empty net she wishes
for sequins.
Tonight’s prompt proved a treasure trove of inspiration, and I was hard pressed to pick three lines from the multitude of fantastic options. In the end I went with ‘A Sea Dirge’, ‘A Boat Beneath Sunny Sky’ (even though it might not seem like it from the poem), and ‘A Strange Wild Song’.
In other news, I’m planning a new pamphlet for the end of the year. The working title is ‘Keeping It Brief’, and it’s going to be a collection of about twenty quadrilles with artwork to go alongside each one. I’m using the quadrilles already on my blog so many of the DVerse gang will have read them previously, but the artwork will be brand new.
Carol J Forrester 
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Thanks
My goodness this is so beautiful, Carol! I especially love; “Even the sea foam does not glitter but leaves its watermarks on sun cracked knuckles passing hand over hand to reel in.” I am so pleased to know you enjoyed the prompt 😀 All the best for your pamphlet! I am sure it will turn out fantastic! 💝💝
Thank you. I really enjoyed working with these prompts.
You’re most welcome 💝💝
Bravo. Such interesting images
Much love…
Thank you
You paint a powerful, lonely, but whimsical scene..it reminds me very much of some different women I have met in Sarajevo under siege, who in dire circumstances still searched for some lipstick somewhere, anywhere, in order to maintain composure, or one who lived in a tent, her home long gone, who wrapped her silk scarf around her neck and sung beautiful songs as if she was on stage..I know both these are different in ethos and meaning from your wonderful verse, but I was reminded of them..
Thank you for sharing those stories Ain. I love the part of poetry that draws on memory and experiences in the reader and creates a moment where those can be shared. I will think of those women over the coming week. Their bravery and their determination.
Absolutely beautiful and wistful. Felt like I was reading a poem circa early 20th century, especially with the killer hook in the beginning:
“when the weight of the sea settles on her shoulders,
she wears a shawl of waves and swims in starless fabric
wishing for sequins.”
Just remarkable, and I love how you tied back to it in the end. It feels so warm and distant with how it played out in my mind, if that makes sense. It’s beautiful.
Thank you so much, it’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed it to such a level.
I can feel the longing in this one! I feel like the “watcher” is the part of her that observes from a distance all the trials, but never gives up hope. Enjoyed!
I really feel how this ties on the myths about mermaids and selkies, and as usual, myths also mean something more…
You captured her yearning and the haunting mystery of the sea and its dwellers well here.
I think you just made me swoon a little bit, Carol.
-David