Sun Kissed Days

Sun Kissed Days

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Starfish Graveyard


Sweltering summer day,
sweat beads dancing on my skin.
We enter a starfish graveyard,
at the Key West souvenir shop.
I hear the ocean moaning,
whispering with regret,
whispering of loss.
On the ocean floor they frolicked,
on the ocean floor they lived.
Long ago,
my love gave me a red and orange starfish,
from the ocean floor.
We gazed at it with wonder,
and we set it free.
I hear the ocean mourning,
and I mourn the life and death,
the beginning and the end,
of all living things.


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http://dversepoets.com/

82 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great day with lots of ocean play. Here it will soon start to freeze and give off a chilly breeze.

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  2. i too mourn the loss of allthings..hopefully if it was the end of that relationship,itwas meant to be...nice allusion to that...

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  3. Pat, a day in the ocean is always a gift.

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  4. Brian...smiles..I see how this could read into a beginning of a relationship and an end...but I actually felt sad when I walked into that shop and saw piles and piles of dead starfish...so I brought it to life in this poem living on the ocean floor and mourning the loss...

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  5. I join mother earth mourning the loss...beautifully written :)

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  6. I often forget how many things must die for us to enjoy their beauty -- starfish, sea mollusks, etc. We should be more mindful of those origins.

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  7. the ocean is such a magic place...the beginning and end of life...yes - i too mourn the loss..

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  8. sad to see this pile of starfish...

    lovely reflection ~

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  9. It's hard to imagine that the purpose of a starfish is to end up in a souvenir shop in Key West. I prefer the idea of setting them free. Good poem.

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  10. lovely circle of life energy in this piece. really like it a lot, especially the color and sounds of the ancient ocean moaning.

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  11. so much passion in your piece... I've set them free also... something about their beauty and charm

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  12. Reminded me of a time in first grade when a teacher came back from vacation and gave us all a starfish from a bucket to take home and let dry. I cried all the way home. Love the image of you setting that red and orange starfish free.

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  13. great tribute... to life and death.

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  14. How sad. Love how you set yours free. Great write.

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  15. I love how your voice is always tender and gentle. I always feel more at peace after visiting here, so thank you, sweet Ayala :)

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  16. Oh, Ayala you always say so much. You are a true word and thought master with a deep caring soul to match.

    And your dog photo always makes me smile.

    xoxo

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  17. Sadness is anywhere and everywhere. You've captured it very well in this glimpse.

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  18. Such a beautiful tribute to our ocean creatures! We (including me) definitely can let our love for ocean dwellers become a bit selfish. I hope they stand the test of time, but we sure are challenging their ecosystem.

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  19. This sort of thing always makes my stomach turn. I watched a documentary once on the fishing industry off the coast of South America, and the devastating slaughter they perform, turning everything into cheap dead flesh, wasting, destroying, decimating the ocean...so someone three thousand miles away can have fish sticks. Just doesn't seem worth it to me. Loved this, and excuse the rant--you touched a nerve. ;_)There's just not enough gazing in wonder and setting things free around these days.

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  20. This makes me miss living by the ocean. My brother and I used to walk the breakwater looking for starfish. We always felt so lucky when we saw one. Like it truly was good luck. I would be saddened to see that pile of dead starfish too. Loss indeed.

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  21. Oh my gosh what thoughts and words you have woven into this poem. I love the thoughts and your compassion for the 'starfish' life. ♥

    "...hear the ocean mourning,
    and I mourn the life and death,
    the beginning and the end,
    of all living things."

    So, sad, but true. Captain Paul Watson (Sea Shepherds) and David Suzuki (Oceans) have alluded to this very thing, that governments are ignoring. Especially with 'dead zones' in various parts of the sea.

    Kudos ayala!

    Roger ☺

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  22. Love the idea of starfish graveyard. (I mean, I don't love it! But it is a very poetic image.)

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  23. Very melancholy musing. The ocean mourning is an image that is quite striking.

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  24. I'm always sad when I see such graphic evidence of our disregard of the lives of the other inhabitants of our world. Souvenirs. We'd better hope some higher life form from another galaxy doesn't come visiting Earth and decide to take a few souvenirs home with them.

    Thanks for visiting my entry.

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  25. Love the phrase "the ocean mourning"... lovely poem, ayala.

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  26. I love the second line! This is beautiful, Ayala!!

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  27. Wow! Pause for a moment of silence as we pay our respects to the power of loss that is the sea...Ayala, this is a potent write, grabbing on to our insides and engaging us to the fullest...good on you, Poet! While I'm left a bit saddened, it only lends more to the power of your write...

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  28. Your words capture a thought ~ that fleeting thought that I've had in similar situations when you find something "made" to be "sold" from something that was alive. No matter how 'pretty' it is, there's a sadness that it awakens as well. I like the photo, too!

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  29. I always felt this way at the beach as a child when I saw shelves and shelves of sand dollars for sale. I wish more people could appreciate nature where it thrives instead of needing to have their own piece of it.

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  30. Oh - this is so soft. It makes one wonder of life and death without feeling the burden of loss. Beautiful!

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  31. I always hate it when I see the starfish and sand dollars for sale in the gift shops. Why do people feel that they need to possess nature?

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  32. Beautiful Ayala, and perfect for the season...birth, death, rebirth. l'shanah tova.

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  33. there is always life and loss in this world... i look forward to a day when all is made new and there are no more starfish graveyards...

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  34. I really like the novelty of the concept of a "starfish graveyard"-- had never thought of it like that before, and the idea of the ocean mourning its losses... so striking. Thank you for reminding us of the sanctity of all forms of life!

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  35. A starfish graveyard *shivers* ..a sad and lovely write.

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  36. this is even more rich and alive a day later:)

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  37. This is so beautiful. I too mourn the death of all living things. Life, no...but death, yes. Your words resonate with me. Thank you.

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  38. Starfish graveyard is so visual! I really enjoyed the swing of it, the ocean mourning, setting it free..... it's really stopping to smell the flowers, and mourn the loss of what some consider novelty...... beautiful......

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  39. The truth of existence is that is must end, you take that into poetry beautifully here my friend ~ Rose

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  40. We humans have a sick record of annihilation for beauty. We decorate our selves and homes with skins and pearls, tusks and shells. Kinda sick if you stop and think; which you've made me do.

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  41. Claudia...the ocean is my magical place :)

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  42. Thank you, Glynn...I thought it was sad....

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  43. Thank you, Ed. And thank you for coming back to read it again :)

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  44. Nara, thank you for sharing, how sad :(

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  45. Lori, what a wonderful compliment, thank you. :)

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  46. Dear Jannie,
    You are so sweet always, I really appreciate it. xoxo.

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  47. True, Rachel. Thank you for stopping by. :)

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  48. Joy, thank you for your passionate comment, I hear you!

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  49. Mel, thank you for sharing your memory.

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  50. Roger, thank you...and I have watched sea shepherds
    and they are amazing!

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  51. Patti, you made me smile, thank you.

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  52. Thank you, Tasha. Your words are kind.

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  53. Lolamouse..I don't know if it's because they want to own it or because it gives them a sense of peace..

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  54. Thank you, Laura. I hope it's a happy and healthy one for you and yours.

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  55. Ed, I love that you came back to read and leave another comment. Thank you.

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  56. Thank you, John. I appreciate your comment...it is about stopping to smell the flowers, isn't it ?

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  57. Great economy of language makes this intensely evocative and moving.

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