Thursday, February 11, 2010

Rock Salt

Come play
the beach glorious
wants girl with dog
to wipe eyes
with tangled drips of hair

sand shakes into seams
escaping
the corral fence of foam
trapping throat lump
before ebbing tide
shuts the gate

grace bounds towards
catch in heart
arms raised
to drench all layers
wringing wet
with laughter
before all knowing love
squeezes hot liquid salt
burning a trail
blending
to fall
as cleansing rain

Skin
astringent
with youthfulness
a moment only
to freeze
the slackness
tight
like skin blush
on ripe fruit

Pockets bulge
smooth rocks
keepers
flat and black
a take away
for another time
to write
words on rocks
a memory
tasting of salt

Tails wag as smiles do

12 comments:

Glynn said...

Oh, I like this one. I love "pockets bulge/ smooth rocks/ keepers."

nitewrit said...

Like a misty picture that forces our focus. I especially like the verse which begins,

Skin
astringent
with youthfulness...

Erin said...

"words on rocks/ a memory/ tasting of salt"-- that took me to the ocean, last time I was there, nearly 11 years ago. Beautiful!

L.L. Barkat said...

This part...

"burning a trail
blending
to fall"

(Thanks, btw, for Tessa's photos. They are gracing Love Notes today. : )

Kelly Sauer said...

it is almost as if I have visited myself after reading this...

Maureen said...

You are creating so beautiful a collection of poems.

Very nice lines: "corral fence of foam" (my eyes deceived; I read it first as "coral fence of foam"), "words on rocks/ a memory / tasting of salt": evocative and highly visual.

I'm enjoying watching how your words unfold.

S. Etole said...

how do you tumble these marvelous words ???? ...

L.L. Barkat said...

Kathleen, so touched by your comment on Seedlings.

The comment has within it a poem, should you wish to lift it out and place it gently here. I would not add much, if anything, just turn those beautiful images and phrases into lines, sounds.

Love...
LL :)

Marcus Goodyear said...

Tails wag as smiles do.

What a wonderful ending! And I just heard from LL that you are coming to Mt. Hermon. I can't wait!

Kathleen Overby said...

Glynn, Nitwrit, L.L. Kelly, Maureen, Erin....thank you for the rich poem comaraderie, it means so much.

Laura said...

I love the idea of grace bounding...

Beautiful, Kathleen. It paints a picture of joy.

Unknown said...

I'm with Laura, the idea of grace bounding captured me. The whole picture you painted with your words is lovely.