Lin Lane Poet Rhyme

Notes About The Poem

Constance's Mingle Contest ~ May 4, 2026

Mingle

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling 
of letting go and holding on."
                                          ~ Havelock Ellis

Humans can be compared to diminutive grains of sand
as we mingle, traveling from home soil to a foreign land.
An ocean's depth represents the divine or life's infinity.
Sand and sea will mingle together in the surf for eternity.

There's an ancient relationship between sea and sand
in which the tides were given the resolve to command.
Earth and Oceans have always coexisted side by side
as important voices in Nature, they mingle and coincide.

Luna majestically reigns over the sea's ebb and flow.
Magnetic are the powers of her luminescent glow.
Tempest winds provoke white crested waves to thrash,
sending sand aground with every thunderous crash.

And when the sea has calmed her churning once more,
grains are able to mingle together on a distant shore.
In the radiance of sunlight, they will linger and dwell
until windswept waves arrive as if brewed from a spell.

Tiny grains cannot socialize because they are tethered.
Guided by Nature's winds and seas, they're weathered,
stranded on golden shores, beach after sandy beach.
Mercy is not a request they can beg for or beseech.

Never can they choose where to go or mingle at will.
Washed upon a sandscape dune they may be until...
Fingers of storm-tossed waves return them to the sea.
They're merely temporary tenants, just like you and me.

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Connie Pachecho May 23, 2026 at 6:50 AM Lin, your poem is a winner, and I feel terrible for Constance. PS ADMIN makes a mistake, yet I wish they would have the wherewithal to make the correction. I mean--That would be a respectable thing to do. Both you and Constance are both pillars at PS and surely deserve to be treated fairly by the ADMIN. Lin Lane May 23, 2026 at 6:57 AM Hi Connie. Constance made it right in my eyes just by letting me know the fault was not hers nor mine since she placed it in her contest. The fault was with those annoying glitches that admin should fix. Administering to poets on the site should be priority. Bigger problems with plagiarism and AI, which Admin declares they will do nothing. Thanks for your concern. Contests are merely fun challenges for me. I don’t crave seeing my name atop any list.

Constance La France May 22, 2026 at 5:42 AM Lin, your poem is beautiful as usual and I do not know what happened in the contest, it was meant for first place but somehow did not make it to the winning page, I am contacting admin, so sorry, I feel terrible~ Lin Lane May 22, 2026 at 5:49 AM It's ok, Constance. The glitch is the fault of PS... one of many that never seem to get fixed. I appreciate your thoughtfulness of explaining why this one showed up as an N/A. Really, it's ok ;-)

Daniel Henry Rodgers May 7, 2026 at 9:12 AM Dear Lin, I love that you’re walking me along the shoreline and letting the sea do the teaching. I also love how you use sand and tide to talk about how little control we really have, yet how connected we still are. A calm, steady wisdom where your imagery carries the meaning without forcing it. A poetess at her best! Blessings, Dear Lin, Daniel Lin Lane May 22, 2026 at 5:47 AM Thanks for walking the shoreline with me, Daniel. Isn't it a magical place at night?

Frederic Parker May 6, 2026 at 4:50 PM A very breath-taking journey that exposes how fragile life really is. I too live close to the sea, my avatar is from right down the street, we like the sand are not permanent fixtures on the landscape... Lin Lane May 22, 2026 at 5:46 AM Thank you very much, Frederic.

Ink Empress May 4, 2026 at 10:05 AM Ah what a deeply moving and profound write this is dear linnersz, it gives an idea of how much youv seen in life and understood through the ebbs and flows of it all that life is about holding on and letting go. As an islander who sees alot of sand and sea and their dance through storms and more i must say i love the analogy used here! So much wisdom! And it wss the flower moon few days ago! Ah just must say i am loving the imagery through and through! Best wishes! Sending you light always Lin Lane May 5, 2026 at 8:24 AM Thanks, Ink. You certainly do see a lot of sand in sea! Thanks for appreciating the direction I took from their mingling to create these verses. a flower moon... now THAT'S an image worthy of a poem!

Tom Cunningham May 4, 2026 at 4:56 AM Love your interpretation of the contest theme Lin. Life is just one big mingle. Tom Lin Lane May 4, 2026 at 4:59 AM Thanks so much, Tom. I didn't want to go with a total human outlook, so sand and sea were the result. I appreciate your compliments... always.

Kim Rodrigues May 4, 2026 at 4:52 AM Fantastic and fave write! Quite impressive! I felt that homesickness of being an ocean away from home. Just like your description, we cannot always choose to be where we want, when we want. I love the sea and its endless pondering. Hugs and blessings Lin Lane May 4, 2026 at 4:58 AM Your comments reminded me of your homesickness. You were away for some time. Thank you for liking my lines and for the fave, Kim.