Bone Beach

Dredged from the depths of a shaken Sennen seashell
she hears once more his voice, low, sonorous tones, sees the bones

of her past laid out, splayed out, another story
playing out, can feel it in her bones,

his voice burrowing in, deep beneath skin,
cold blade digging in, the tide coming in,

shrouds of sea mist closing in, the veil blowing thin,
membranes of memory breaking...She sees anew the drowning seas,

sees for the first time his strangling hands,
pebbly skulls, seaweed ropes, skeletal fingers of coral

forcing bone-white wrecking lights into her cove...
Bone-bleached semen strands, Sennen's strand stretching

soiled sand before her like life or fate, grains like pulverised bones.
His dark-dune lurking, water-window watching,

waiting for riptides; a ripping of fabric, ripping of hymen,
sea-hymns now silent on salt-sheened lips

plump-pouty with youth. It's sordid, uncouth,
the salt sprinkle of sea-sweat sheening his skin,

the breath and the fingers quickening,
the coral's rough rigidity piercing, ejaculation of sea foam...

Buried deeper than bones, the sudden rush of memory waves
rattling bones of the past, shaking Sennen seashells.

Gulls screaming into the guilty hush.
Secrets hidden by sea-silenced sand.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024

Poem

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Carmack Avatar
August 1, 2026 at 5:47 AM
Indeed, all those seacrets we keep. Congrats and thanks for the support.
Hamilton Avatar
June 23, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Wow wow wow, Charlotte, no one, I mean no one writes as you do. I wrote a song after reading your r*pe poem, I tried to capture the rage and the victims mentality, I would like your feedback please it's my latest "where the fire meets the flame".
Nicole Avatar
December 11, 2024 at 7:02 PM
' her past laid out, splayed out ' and then, ' a cold blade digging in; the tide coming in. ' Seems a little suspicious to me. Sounds like murder ! ! Like someone is trying to hide the body. Your words capture the gruesome moment within, my dear friend. My best to you. Hugs, Brandy
Dietrich Avatar
November 4, 2024 at 3:51 PM
Love this. Did she get murdered as Tommy said? In my simple tanka on this theme there was murder. The rape description goes so well with the imagery and metaphors of the sea , etc bso vivid.
Bell Avatar
November 1, 2024 at 4:29 AM
Sad journey of despair, and probably echoed throughout the world. I like the build up to this, you miss nothing out. Isn't life full of boulders and memories.
Gregory Avatar
October 25, 2024 at 9:11 PM
The depth of the imagery all but illuminate the symbolism. Seeming to endure it's out of bodied wait leave an obscured realization. Keep showing the grim reality that can happen. Open a way to express the dread.
Anaya Avatar
October 25, 2024 at 4:25 PM
A weakness of limb sensation came over me with such haunting imagery. Terrifying for her. It gave me the heebie-jeebies, then angered and emasculation by dissection came to mind. Uplifting wishes, Charlotte ~Anaya's faving
Parker Avatar
October 24, 2024 at 2:36 PM
This is violence ripped from the soul's reality. Semen, ejaculation, hymen just devastating terms in context of worst case scenario. Raw, angst-inducing. Prayers lifted for calming dreams, Celestial Embrace. :o[
Parker Avatar
August 1, 2026 at 1:25 AM
Second read as suggested. No less the savage encounter yet subtle reincarnation theme emerges. Third read emboldens inescapable angst, pain, misery, memories. Cycles repeat. Defeat complete. 😡
One Avatar
October 24, 2024 at 1:01 PM
Hey Charlotte, your poem is a powerful meditation on the interplay of memory, desire, and trauma, presented through striking imagery and rich symbolism. The journey through your past is fraught with pain and complexity, illuminating how memories can haunt and shape our present selves. he concluding lines—“Secrets hidden by sea-silenced sand”—suggest that despite the weight of these memories, there may still be aspects of the past that remain buried, hinting at the complexities of understanding and confronting our own history.
Rodgers Avatar
October 23, 2024 at 4:19 PM
Dear Charlotte, I stopped by to read your latest and loved this well inked poem. Being a counselor I saw themes of memory, trauma, and the haunting presence of the past. But you also show the beauty of the sea with darker memories, symbolized by bones and skeletal imagery. What a mix of intimacy and violence, as represented by the "strangling hands" and "seaweed ropes." Excellent! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel
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