Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Sketchbook Tuesday - Beach stones

I'm back from a few days away visiting with family. It's funny how just a few days can turn into a week with the preparing to leave and then the resettling once home again. Although the days away were a flurry of activity we did get out to look at the ocean for an hour or so. On that wide expanse of beach there were no shells in sight. I did pick up a few stones from the surf and dropped them into my bag. Back home, I dug them out and sketched then last evening. They seemed a good companion for this poem I came across a while back.

Tangled 
We return to hear the waves
rolling onto the beach one
after the other connecting
us like blood.

We were listening long before
we came here, remembering
wind spinning salt through
interrupted sunlight.

This is a place where dreams
return as fish bones
tangled in seaweed.

Whatever sorrows come
are folded into the sea,
rinsed clean and kept
- unbearable secrets.

-Marjory Heath Wentworth-
South Carolina Poet Laureate

13 comments:

bettyfromtexas said...

Oh my goodness! What a beautiful, powerful poem to accompany your beautiful, luminous sketch!!

kazumiwannabe said...

Beach stones are fascinating - I never tire of watching and collecting them, they have so many colors, make so varied combinations! And you've done a wonderful work here, they shine, they look wet, and their colors are just as fascinating as the real ones!

Rose Welty said...

So glad to see this - was thinking of you today and thinking that I hadn't seen much from you lately, was hoping that everything is OK.

And Ann, you and beach stones - just beautiful.

Dan Kent said...

Your painting of stones is excellent! So well done. I wonder if the poem is talking about that time before birth and after death?

Ann said...

Thanks all!
Betty, you are so kind. I thought the poem powerful too.

Thank you kazumiwannabe! If I'm not picking up leaves, then stones :-)

Rose, I appreciate your comment. I have a lot going on lately - even when I'm here it's hard to be "here" if you know what I mean. But I'm fine. Thanks.

Dan, I hadn't thought of it that way but I totally see that could be the author's intent. I like that thought. I was relating it to what's happening in my life now. And the power of the sea to connect us. But that's the magic of poetry I suppose :-)

Unknown said...

I saw your post, via flickr. As I said before, the stones are done so well, they look life-like! Your etsy work is lovely and I'll be sure to follow you. The poem is very powerful, I enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

From simple stones to sandy beaches, glorious trees, flowers and grasses...your nature pieces are always so lovely, Ann.

Anonymous said...

I'm just back from a few days on the coast too, so those pebbles are a lovely sight to see this morning! I've put my small collection in a little bowl on my bedside table to remind me of my favourite place to be.

Unknown said...

Beautiful sketch and accompanying poem!

Timaree said...

Your stones look great and the poem is a good one. A lot of poetry doesn't make sense to me but this one does - or is it that the ocean is that primal?

Cathy Holtom said...

I love all the different types and colours of pebbles that you can find on the beach, this is a lovely sketch!

Ellen Burkett said...

Beautiful! The layout, the drawing, the poem. All wonderful!

Alex said...

Lovely pages! =) Beautiful words

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