The Mermaid Tear Poem by Cathleen Hodgkinson

I walk along the shore and reach down in the sand,
Finding a small white piece of sea glass now tight in my hand.
A mermaid tear, once a shard of sharp glass,
Smoothed, perfected over time in the ocean's current,
To the shore had been cast.

This shore is my santuary, my temple, my peace.
I've neglected it's beckoning calls, as I've neglected my soul.
A place to replenish my emotional exhaustion, my retreat.

I walk barefoot, skipping each breaker that tries to catch me.
The mermaid tear still in my hand.
The sea foam playfully tickling my feet... as if to forgive me.

I can see Block Island in the distance, the jetty nearby.
Such emotion, such beauty, a true nature's gift.
I don't even realize my own tears welling in my eyes.

White caps in the horizon, the current and rip tides.
Forever constant, forever continual, each wave, each breaker.
Water now gray as the clouding overcast sky.

I am newly awakened, intoxicated by the salty air,
As I make my way reluctantly back to the cottage.
I am at peace now, no longer in despair.

A reminder of my return, treasured by me.
That very mermaid tear now sits on my desk today.
A tiny gift left by a daughter of the sea.



(February 2007)