[Poetry Friday] Sea Change (Another Rachel Carson poem)

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

  1. 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.

    1. 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:>)

  2. 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.

    1. 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:>)

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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!)

  6. 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!)

  7. 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!

  8. 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!

  9. 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

    1. 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:>)

  10. 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

    1. 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:>)

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,499 other subscribers

Are You Looking For?

Poetry Friday posts

Classroom Connections posts

All my poetryactions

Go to my Poetry page for:

  • National Poetry Month projects through the years
  • Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
  • Introductions to several favorite poetry forms
Tags
#waterpoemproject15 Words or Less Poems20for2030 Painless Classroom Poems50 State Poemsacrosticsactivity pagesactivity sheetALAA Leaf Can Be...Amy Ludwig VanDerwaterA Need to FeedanthologiesanthologyA Rock Can Be...art projectsaudiopoemsawardsbad newsBarbara Juster EsbensenBilly Collinsbiopoemsblog tourbookalikesbook festivalsBookSpeak!book spine poemsbook trailersbop poembyr a thoddaidcafepresscalendar poemsCamp Read-a-LotCan Be... bookscan be... poemsCapstoneCarol Varsalonacascade poemsCatherine FlynnCCRA.W.3CCRA.W.4CCRA.W.5centoschapter bookschoral compositionschristina rossetticinquainsCLAclassified ad poemsclassroom connectionclassroom connectionsClover Kittyconferences and conventionscrown sonnetscybilsdansaDare to DreamDavid Elliottdeeper wisdom poemdefinitosdiamantesdiversitydizaindodoitsuDot DayDouglas Floriandownloadablesdrum corpse.e. cummingsekphrastic poemsepistolary poemsequation poemsessentialethereeseventsexquisite corpseFairy Tale Garage Salefamilyfibonaccifiction picture booksfinding familyfirefightersforeign editionsfound poemsfree author zoomsfree versefrom studentsgeesegeorgia heardghazalGift Taggiveawaygolden shovelgoldilocksgratitudehaikuheart of aheart of a teacherHeidi MordhorstHelen FrostHighlightshow-to poemshow to make a rainbowI Am FromI Am poemsidiomsif you want to knit some mittensIf You Were the MoonILAimagepoemsinterviewin the middle of the nightIRAIrelandIrene LathamJ. Patrick LewisJanet WongJoyce SidmanKendraKerlanKidlit Comboslailaura's board booksLaura's booksLaura's poemsLaura's readingsLaura ShovanLee Bennett HopkinsLilian MoorelimericksLinda Booth SweeneyLion of the Skylist poemslittle free librarylive writingLullaby and Kisses Sweetlyricsmadness poetrymargaret simonMarilyn Singermary lee hahnmask poemsMeet My FamilyMelissa StewartMentors for Rentmentor textsmetaphorMichelle Myers LacknerMillbrookMinnesota Book Awardsmoonmy reading lifemy writing processN+7naaninarrative poemsNational Poetry Month 2012 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku)National Poetry Month 2015National Poetry Month 2016National Poetry Month 2017 (#wonderbreak)national poetry month 2018 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2020National Poetry Month 2021 (#EquationPoem)national poetry month 2022 (sticky-note poems)National Poetry Month 2023 (Digging for Poems)ncteNerdy Book Clubnifty newsnifty stuffNikki Grimesnonfictionnonfiction booksNonfiction Writers Dig Deepnovelsnovels in verseodesOne Minute Till BedtimeoppositifyOskar's VoyagepadletpantoumsparodiesPatreonpeacepersonalpet poemsphotopoetryphrase acrosticspicture booksplagiarismpoempicspoemspoems for two voicespoemsketchpoetic pursuitsPoetry 7poetryactionspoetry activitiesPoetry Blastpoetry booksPoetry FridayPoetry Friday AnthologiesPoetry Princessespoetry promptspoetry sistersPoetry Tips for Teachersprogressive poempublishing processpuddle songPutridquotationsraccontinosRandy Salasread-aloudreadaloudreading poetry in the classroomRebecca Kai Dotlichrecipe poemsrefugeesresearchreviewsrevisionrhyming booksrhyming nonfictionrhyming picture booksRhyming Picture Books the Write Wayrhyming poemsRiddle-kuriddle poemsRock Can Be...Rock the Blogrondeau redoublesRudyard Kiplingsalas snippetsSCBWIschool visitsScotlandseasonssecrets of the loonSELsestinasshrinking daysskinnyskypeslice of lifesmall readssnack snooze skedaddlesnowman-coldsonnetsStampede!storm poemstorytimestorywalkstudent poemsstudent workSylvia VardellTanita Davistankatautogramteachableteacher resourcesteen/adult poemsterza rimasthankfulthank yous and referencesthe business sidethings to do iftracy nelson maurertrioletstunie munson-bensonvideosVikram MadanvillanellevillanellesWater Can Be...wealthy elementaryWe BelongWhat's InsideWhy-kuwinterwonderwonderbreakword of the yearwordplaywordsmithswork for hirewritingwriting bookswriting processwriting promptswriting the life poeticyoung authors conferencesYouTubeZap Clap Boomzenozentangle
Show More Show Less

Join Laura's monthly newsletter for eductators

Get three of Laura's favorite poetry activities when you subscribe to "Small Reads."