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May 27, 2010

The Joy Of Collecting Stones




































I like to collect little stones and pebbles at the beach
I dig down deep into the sand, as far as I can reach
Beneath the bobbing water that laps about my ears
I search for sunken treasures; stuff lost among the years


I pull up a wet hand full of sand and silt and stone
Emerging like Leviathan to show what Time has thrown
Into the murky waters of the rivers, lakes and streams
I un-baptize martyred stones, wake them from their dreams


I’ll often find one granite rough, some limestone or some shale
Or find a kind I do not know, all yellowish and pale
Sometimes it’s quartz or marble, with flashing glints of black
I keep the ones that catch my eye; the others I throw back


The stones I find are rather small, no bigger than my hand
Although, on some occasions, I’ll dig deep in the sand
To uncover a larger rock, forgotten and unseen
I pull it free to see its face, to ask it where it’s been


I like the ones all striped with white, or colored deep and red
Or ones with many layers from an ancient river’s bed
Sometimes I’ll find a stick or twig, sometimes a bit of bone
Or fossils from another time, forever framed in stone


I put them in my pockets and forget them for awhile
Until I find them there again; again they make me smile
Not much of a collection, kept in pockets, then in drawers
I only know they’re special. Here’s mine, now show me yours

22 comments:

  1. This is a real little boys' poem! I love how your enthusiasm comes across.
    Um, the last line, you are still talking about stones I hope...lol

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  2. Glad to know what you like,
    lovely piece..
    Thanks for the inspirations on emotions.
    the water image is divine.

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  3. Eric,
    I love the beach and miss it dearly. Since now we live inland. You brought back some wonderful memories for me. Nicely put.
    Pamela

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  4. Jessica - I was having a hard time rhyming something with "drawers" and didn't want to use a different word because it was true to what I did with the rocks I collected.

    (Besides, the double-entendre played so nicely off "drawers")

    These days I out the rocks in the vase that holds my bamboo plant.

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  5. Delightfully done! My grandmother used to walk around the farm and collect rocks. She'd take them to her special room, shine them up then put them up for display. thanks for the stroll down memory lane!

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  6. Oh, I absolutely adore this, last lines very sweet/ to me at least/ Thanks for sharing!

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  7. This one is a childhood memory for me.You made me recall those joyful,carefree times.

    It was a joy reading this!Love the pic,too.I sooo love the sea!

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  8. I'm a beach lover, and this poem makes me want to go to one this weekend. We have so many beaches here, but the last time I communed with the sea was in August. I find stones and shells buried in sand fascinating, too. I like the sand itself (I'm in love with white sand because it's so fine and pure). Your poem makes me feel nostalgic! Great work on the rhymes! :)

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  9. Dear Eric
    I enjoyed it very much.. thanks for sharing.

    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    Twitter: @VerseEveryDay
    Blog: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com

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  10. Super sweet one..

    Reminds me how my friends were in childhood!! I was a little serious one- LOLssss
    Blend of maturity and prankiness.. :)

    Your poem told a very beautiful story and loads of laughing moments.. super sweet.. xx

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  11. this was a fun read. nothing like a good petosky stone in your pocket eh? :-) take care -700 miles

    my potlucks:
    http://wp.me/pU7yT-in
    http://wp.me/pU7yT-hS
    http://wp.me/sU7yT-tsunami

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  12. thanks for linking up with potluck.

    http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/moods-are-like-dark-woods-4-potluck-week-10/

    award/treats for you. smiles.

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  13. That's absolutely perfect. I have my collection of pebbles in my bathroom. I've arranged them in a kind of diorama with a couple of small model boats so they look like a coastal scene.

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  14. Eric - theres only one other stone lover/collector in the bunch of comments. I believe its rare to find one among adults. My, my if they only knew what they were missing. lol
    I have collected rocks/stones since I was a girl especially agates. I have coffee cans full. Adulthood as brought me to semi- precious stones though agates will always be a favorite. I have rocks all over my house. One in particular is a spiritual favorite that is from the a rocky beach north of Duluth. It is shaped like the goddess one way a crone the other a maiden. Thanks for pointing me here. :)

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  15. What can I say, River? You rock! :)

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  16. Lol! Back at you Eric. :)

    Oh I have to tell you my big news.. hehe! My MS poetry Book Stumbled & Standing is going to be published. :) They even want it bigger.

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  17. i'll show you mine if you show me yours!
    what is better than finding and pocketing, or better yet bucketing, beach rocks? love it, everything about it, as you do. and now my little girl is a beach rock lover, too. uh oh.
    love this, eric. love it!

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  18. also, i forgot to mention that your photograph here is breathtaking.

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  19. This is still one of my favourite things to do, Eric..cannot go to the beach without bringing home a pocketful of treasures! When I grow bored with the hunt is when I'll know I'm getting old...LOL.

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  20. I used to put so many stones in my pockets, it made it hard to walk back to the car:) I so relate!

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  21. I like your description of the stones you've collected- very vivid and colourful.

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  22. Fun to read and remember collecting stones; I still on occasion will find a gem I can't pass up~

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