a moment of beautiful – the sound of the sea
the space: a park bench by the edge of the sea
the beautiful: the sound of the breakers, sorting over cobbles on the shore
On a recent vacation to Nova Scotia, we had the time to sit and watch the breakers roll into a cove along St. Margaret’s Bay. The sight of the crashing waves was inspiring, but the sounds were unforgettable… first, the sweep and crash of the incoming waves…
then the clatter as the outgoing wave dragged at the cobbles along the shore…
My husband suffered through my recitation of a few lines of Matthew Arnold’s poignant ‘Dover Beach’, but mostly we were quiet, overwhelmed by the sound of the sea.
~
~
greed
~
jealous of its pretty
shaped and rounded stones,
the ocean mutters,
claws them back
clatters its dinner forks
over biscuits and gravy
hoards jellybeans
by the handful
~
~
© Jane Tims 2012
nichepoetryandprose 
The seashore is truly a sensory extravaganza. Wonderful post!
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Watching Seasons
July 15, 2012 at 12:35 am
Hi. I need to spend time by the sea at least once a year. I am so lucky to be only a couple of hours from the coast. Thanks! Jane
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jane tims
July 15, 2012 at 8:12 am
I really enjoy both the visual and auditory quality of your poem. “hoards jellybeans
by the handful” is perfect for those rocky beaches. 🙂
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Robin
July 14, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Hi Robin. Thanks! Jane
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jane tims
July 15, 2012 at 8:26 am
I love this…the imagery of your playful words…
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Deborah Carr
July 11, 2012 at 10:25 pm
Hi. Thanks. I learned so much from you about paying attention to sounds and smells in addition to what we see. I missed you at the Maritime Writers Workshop this week. I would have taken your course, but wanted the opportunity of taking poetry with Ian Le Tourneau. The course was yesterday and he focused on poetic construction… line breaks, my nemesis. See you soon. Jane
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jane tims
July 12, 2012 at 8:41 am
I love deserted beaches.The pictures bring back good memories.
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Sheryl
July 9, 2012 at 12:51 am
Thanks so much for this cool dip in the ocean! It’s very, very hot here and these photos are much appreciated today, that’s for sure!
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snowbirdpress
July 7, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Hi. It is not bad here… we have a cool breeze and the flies are calmer than usual. I have been hearing on the news how hot it is everywhere and how hard it must be to cope without electricity. Jane
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jane tims
July 8, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Hi, Jane, Fortunately so far, we still have electricity here … and I’m hoping the heat wave is broken tongiht. But so many are really having a hard time of it… even with air conditioning, it’s not been an easy heat wave to endure.
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snowbirdpress
July 8, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Hi Jane,
What lovely pictures. We don’t get crashing waves like this over on the west coast and I miss it. I can imagine there must’ve been a strong smell of salt in the air… sigh…
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dearrosie
July 7, 2012 at 3:30 pm
Hi. Being near the sea occupies wvery sense for sure… sound, taste, smell, vision, touch. Jane
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jane tims
July 8, 2012 at 7:14 pm
I like the sounds, the mutter, clatter and claw noises I hear when I read the poem. I love the last bit about hoarding jelly beans by the handful. Great personification of the sea. What wonderful photos!
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Carol Steel
July 7, 2012 at 12:47 pm
Hi. We are so lucky to live within a short drive of such places! Jane
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jane tims
July 8, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Looks like a lovely spot Jane. Love the poem too.
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dfb
July 7, 2012 at 11:59 am
Hi. It would be lovely to live nearby this cove and its waves. Thanks! Jane
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jane tims
July 8, 2012 at 7:12 pm