The Mimosa Effect 2

6.22.10

the slow morning climbs sleepily
out of the low clouds
and the mist hanging
weightless above
the dark waters

waves chuckle
against the rocks
gossiping
about the sea

–

tumble of mossy rocks
through dappled shade

tall sun-clad spires
of pink and purple foxglove
dappled too,
like prized fairground ponies

faery houses made
of twigs and bark
lovingly arranged
by the slender fingers
of three giggling girls

comfortable stone paths
nestled in soft springy loam
inviting dalliances
with green shadows

–

6.23.10

by the water’s edge
crabs amble through
swaying seaweed forests
over barnacle stippled rocks
purple starfish
crammed into craggy cracks
hiding from the mid-day sun
live starfish are not brittle
but full and taut
like a bunched muscle
still-damp arms glistening
they do not stir at my touch

shells here,
just under the water at low tide,
are not empty, but full
of little bodies, with startled
grasping legs
that scuttle away and down
into depths I cannot reach

later, looking up
through oak branches
at the pale blue sky
the sun peeking out
from behind the leaves’
scalloped edges
small insects float,
white and gold against the blue
like flecks of dandelion pollen
everywhere the air
is full of bird song
and the distant whine and chug
of outboard motors

–

shells in the forest

at first you don’t realize
what they are
chalky white smudges
on the cave floor
bending down you see
a thick layer of oyster shells
most ground to fine dust by now
some still whole
this is where the women
and children hid
while the men fought
before roads, or pathways

slumbering behemoths
left by ancient glaciers
the stones at the foot
of the land-whale cliff
lean against each other
as if they fell asleep
while wrestling
beneath them, a cool hollow
you could hide a dozen here,
maybe twenty
huddled together
cracking open the shells
and eating the soft,
slick innards raw

there is a path here now
people build mountain bike ramps
foolish, ridiculous things
straddling the boulders
wood tied together
like part of some old prospecting town

no longer hidden
but still mysterious
even knowing
shells on the forest floor

- T.H.

More here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QByHat2BJLs&feature=related