Ocean's Tale

My name is Ocean, and,
If you listen, you will hear me speak.
But you must listen carefully,
Or you will hear nothing 
But the cacaphony of my waves
And tumbling pebbles at the shore. 
Open your mind, and hear me
In the smallest splashes on the rocks,
In the swishing of the waves, 
In the quiet times, 
And I will tell you tales of a 
Wild ocean covering all land, 
Of great explosions of lava,
Mountains pushing up from the deep.
Of microscopic life forming in my womb.
Of sea animals growing legs
And learning to walk on land.
I will tell you of huge ships,
Sails and steam, wood and iron,
Crossing my vast reaches to
Connect land with land, people with people.
I'll speak to you of ships
That wrestled with me and lost, now
Lying encrusted in my depths,
Of treasures lost and treasures found.
Listen. Listen very carefully,
And you will hear something else.
You will hear the life of the sea
Fish and eels, whales, and mollusks, 
Strange creatures, the likes 
Of which you've never seen.
Each a vital part of the chain of life,
Hear them cry out to you, "Respect us.
We are you, and you are we.  
Destroy us, and you destroy yourselves.''
Listen. Listen and hear me speak.
I am Ocean, the cradle of life 
And its nursery. Care for my children.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2021



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Date: 7/21/2021 3:13:00 PM
I do and I am listening. I wrote a poem about the sacred oceans too, in a different form and shorter, but with the same tone. I live by the ocean. I walk along scolding cold, careless humans whose ziplock bags and ice cream cups dangerously decorate the once sacred sand. As they wander the beach, their eyes and their hearts are closed. I become a garbage picker for our Violet Snail and our Humpback Whale. We all breathe and survive, we need each other to stay alive.
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Peckham Avatar
Barbara Peckham
Date: 7/21/2021 9:54:00 PM
What a wonderful and thoughtful comment. I am an ocean lover, having lived on the East Coast all my life until three years ago and on the island of Martha's Vineyard the last twenty years before that. I really appreciate your read and for taking the time to express your feelings.
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