Seaside Holy Grail Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

Like sea oats blown by every wind
my days and thoughts were reeling
As sand and grains of murky paths
so oft my dreams were stealing

I had resigned that this would be
my lot in life and future
all fondest hopes of youth were dashed
like salt ground into suture

When storms arose and lightning too
and tidal waves ran free
it seemed that my faint breath would soon
be drowned beneath the sea

That's when a tender spring green branch
appeared within my reach
I grabbed it with a desperate hand
and wound up on the beach

I brought it to my sun-bleached shack
and planted it nearby
until the seasons and the rains
caused it to grow so high


Its sturdy trunk, its blossoms fair
its bark as tough as steel
today withstand all hurricanes
that threaten how I feel

If you are wind tossed and your life
is like a fragile reed
that tosses hither, thither too
take hold of that small weed

Though it may seem a hopeless task
to reach for something frail
you may soon find that little branch
is heaven's holy grail

Like dry leaves blown by every wind
my days and thoughts were reeling
As dust and grains of murky paths
so oft my dreams were stealing.