(2nd place, San Mateo County Fair 2012)
the sky is a solid eggshell
no cracks
to permit sun rays to shine in
salt vapors christen my nose, drench my paper walls
dissolving the mood that was trailing me
mother sea baptizes the shore over and over
and over
until the shore also releases whatever it’s been holding onto
leaving a blank beach of sand
curving hellos beneath me
the stillness in the air stills my spirit
but then the chilly fog, vertigo cliffs and hatcheting waves
strike me so close i can embrace
the terror and loneliness
reflected in the raw, metallic water
and colorless sky
i am afraid but mesmerized
in love, yet i shrivel in the face
of this gigantic beauty and power
that pounds and cleanses
and forces me
out of the eggshell limits
of my own little world
6 comments
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September 9, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Lani LuLu
I can see you up there through the lens of your words, and knowing you as I do, I smile for your gardener’s approach to life… digging, digging, digging for living treasures. MIss you.
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September 9, 2011 at 3:49 pm
smurrd
wow. I am loving your blog, Maureen, but particularly love this poem. It has transported me up to the beach in Mendocino and I feel your words deeply. Beautiful. Hope you are having an amazing time up there.
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April 23, 2013 at 4:09 am
i get a mention in the daily journal | iwritemyself
[…] Mateo County considers a Poet Laureate program! Tomorrow I will be reading Mendocino in an Eggshell to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in support of approving the first-ever Poet Laureate […]
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July 27, 2015 at 8:14 pm
poetry for the devil | iwritemyself
[…] Devil’s Slide Ride Shuttle will now feature poems by local poets. My poem, mendocino in an eggshell, debuted July 25th and will run for a […]
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July 28, 2015 at 6:29 am
Teresa
Beautiful poem, Maureen. So easy to see and quite uplifting.
You’ve “made” my morning.
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July 28, 2015 at 8:39 am
iwritemyself
Bringing a little fog and wetness to our July! Thank you for your comments and for “liking” this post.–Maurine
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