The pearl
I stand here before the ancestors,
Empty and hollow
And open to the waves.
I am a shell awaiting the bright
Sunlight to warm me,
The black sea to fill me.
Deep within, a grain of sand so sharp
And fine comes to rest,
While each day, on this shore,
The sun kindles the fire of my soul,
And ev’ry night, dark
Waters purify me.
Then the tiny grain, a speck of grit
Soon begins to grow,
Becoming full and moon-shaped
Until from this lowly, lonely seed:
Precious and new,
A perfect pearl is formed.
I fear for this delicate being,
But it is stronger
Than I can imagine.
Seafoam green and shrimpy pink, by turns,
It blushes and glows,
Lit up with inner joy.
It grows within me ’til the time comes:
The womb-like chamber
Of my heart opens wide
And the pearl wakes, breathing the first breath
Of a new dawn, wild
With possibility.
Nourished, blessed by sun and sea, the seed
Has developed well.
Born whole. entire. complete.
Lying here with me on the shore, full
Of hope and promise,
This is Spring’s gift to me.
(A gift of the Vernal Equinox)
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