Last Friday, I shared a poem I wrote about Rachel Carson. That poem appeared in Cricket Magazine. Today, I’m sharing the second Rachel Carson poem I wrote (this is when I was working on poems for Dare to Dream). I always knew that a time hook was great for articles, but it helps with poetry, too. Rachel Carson’s landmark book Silent Spring was published 50 years ago this month, and that definitely was key to getting both of these poems published so quickly! This epistolary poem appeared on YourDailyPoem.com yesterday. I love that site and its daily e‑mails, and I’m thrilled to have this poem there. It’s my second poem on YDP, and I hope there will be more to come! If you have a moment to visit and comment on it there, I would be grateful:>)
Sea Change (for Rachel Carson)
Dear Ocean,
Everyone thought we were a summer fling.
I was just 22, after all.
You were…older.
But I knew–I knew–you would change my life forever.I had always loved black cherry and hemlock trees, deer, grouse, turtles, dirt.
And I had always loved wooden pencil pressed into paper.
Thoughts tumbling.
Watching, writing.
World. Words.
And I still do.But they can’t compare to you:
your silver eyes, your wavy hair,
your shimmering mackerel
and slow liquid squid.
The stars shine more brilliantly when I’m with you.Please don’t slip through my fingers and disappear.
I’ll fight for you, ocean, my whole life.Your Admirer,
Rachel Carson
Katya at Write. Sketch. Repeat has the Poetry Friday roundup. Add a little poetry to your day!
28 Responses
Thanks for sharing that poem. I love it. It is so creative and beautiful.
Thanks, Penny–I really appreciate that.
Thanks for sharing that poem. I love it. It is so creative and beautiful.
Thanks, Penny–I really appreciate that.
I told you yesterday that I was so pleased to find you on YDP, Laura. It’s a lovely poem about Carson. I like every bit, but especially “The stars shine more brilliantly when
I?m with you.” She was so dedicated to doing right, wasn’t she? Thanks for carrying that message on.
Thank you, Linda. I was really inspired when I read about her. I loved writing a couple of poems about her–and I’m so happy they are finding a (small, but at least more people than me) audience:>)
I told you yesterday that I was so pleased to find you on YDP, Laura. It’s a lovely poem about Carson. I like every bit, but especially “The stars shine more brilliantly when
I?m with you.” She was so dedicated to doing right, wasn’t she? Thanks for carrying that message on.
Thank you, Linda. I was really inspired when I read about her. I loved writing a couple of poems about her–and I’m so happy they are finding a (small, but at least more people than me) audience:>)
There’s so much to appreciate here: that it’s a love letter, the imagery–the ocean’s eyes and hair and mackerel–and the language–shimmering, slip, watching, writing, world, words. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks, Liz, for the kind words. They brighten up my day:>)
There’s so much to appreciate here: that it’s a love letter, the imagery–the ocean’s eyes and hair and mackerel–and the language–shimmering, slip, watching, writing, world, words. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks, Liz, for the kind words. They brighten up my day:>)
What a wonderful pair of poems, Laura. I love the way you imagine Rachel personifying the ocean with silver eyes, wavy hair, shimmering mackerel, and slow liquid squid…the reader sees her as a young woman in love! Makes me want to dig out the copy of Silent Spring that my high school biology teacher assigned us to read (40 years ago–yikes!)
Thanks, Buffy! I love the ocean, and it was fun imagining falling in love at first sight with it!
What a wonderful pair of poems, Laura. I love the way you imagine Rachel personifying the ocean with silver eyes, wavy hair, shimmering mackerel, and slow liquid squid…the reader sees her as a young woman in love! Makes me want to dig out the copy of Silent Spring that my high school biology teacher assigned us to read (40 years ago–yikes!)
Thanks, Buffy! I love the ocean, and it was fun imagining falling in love at first sight with it!
I did a little happy dance when I saw your name pop up in the YDP email!! LOVE this poem. Everything about it.
Second attempt to reply: Thank you, Mary Lee! I appreciate it:>)
I did a little happy dance when I saw your name pop up in the YDP email!! LOVE this poem. Everything about it.
Second attempt to reply: Thank you, Mary Lee! I appreciate it:>)
Beautiful poem, Laura — I especially love the “slow liquid squid.” It’s a lovely tribute to such an important voice. And congrats on your second poem in YDP!
I swear I replied to this! Oh well–thank you, Robyn. I appreciate it:>)
Beautiful poem, Laura — I especially love the “slow liquid squid.” It’s a lovely tribute to such an important voice. And congrats on your second poem in YDP!
I swear I replied to this! Oh well–thank you, Robyn. I appreciate it:>)
This is very beautiful I love how you mixed the feelings of knowing the person in with the feelings of the ocean I will give the blog some thought ii will look in to how to start one you positive words about me and my poems mean a lot to me thank you your groups have are a real blessing to me and have helped me start writing moor
Thanks, Jessica! And I’m glad you are considering a blog–people who have lots of work to share need a home for it, so that their poems are out there, ready to be found by readers:>)
This is very beautiful I love how you mixed the feelings of knowing the person in with the feelings of the ocean I will give the blog some thought ii will look in to how to start one you positive words about me and my poems mean a lot to me thank you your groups have are a real blessing to me and have helped me start writing moor
Thanks, Jessica! And I’m glad you are considering a blog–people who have lots of work to share need a home for it, so that their poems are out there, ready to be found by readers:>)