Song of the Sea Snail
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Now and then A passer by May hear my song Above the pounding of the waves. Or he may read my words Painstakingly penned As I drag my carapace across a rock, Gnawing lichen in a pool Revealed at ebb tide. The hymn of a gastropod mollusc Celebrating the glorious truth of her being Singing fortissimo Her ballad of love and praise. I write my song Clearly on the stone For those with eyes to see For those with minds to understand For those with hearts to feel the Truth Manifest in my being and Scrawled in the calligraphy Of a crustacean. My song is in my mother tongue And can only be known By one versed In the discourse of the voiceless. My song is simple Because I am simple. I need no complex language To sing my truth No adjectives or adverbs No alliteration, No similes or rhyme I speak directly to your being I use the voice God gave me To sing His praise. Only the simple Can hear my speech, Read my script, Recognise their true self, And know the truth of my song. This song is for you It matters not Whether you can read it, Whether you can see it, Whether you can hear it. This is my work This is my praise This is my thanks. If you find my drowned words In a pool somewhere Please pass them on. I ask no thanks Please don’t disturb. This work takes all my force And focus. Now but a few short days remain To complete my song And teach it to my heirs Before my time here ends And my soft naked body Leaves behind its empty shell.
