The song of the sea

Drafted on The Sea, The Sea, writing retreat with Beth Kempton.

This draft published on Substack at Tide and Shingle.

Lighter

The feather flits past, low,

tumbling over the pebbles

until it catches on a sharp stone

and wavers.

It is white and short

with dirty brown stripes,

from a young gull.

The feather, absently

dropped during

a lively pecking

and shedding,

will be replaced with

a stiff long quill

of striving and soaring

over the glittering sea

and the littered land

and oh my

the sky is so high

now you are gone.

~ Kore Sage

Second draft

Beach dreams

The feather flits past, low,

tumbling over the pebbles

until it catches on a sharp stone

and flutters, lightly.

It is white and short

with dirty brown stripes,

perhaps from a young gull.

The feather, absently

dropped out during

a pecking,

a shedding of youth,

will be replaced with

a stiff long quill of

striving and soaring

over the glittering sea

and the littered land

and oh my

the sky is so high

now you are gone.

~ Kore Sage

Original draft below, written and seeded on The Sea, The Sea, virtual writing retreat with Beth Kempton., from the prompt Song of the Sea.

Song of the sea

The feather flits past

tumbling over the pebbles

until it catches on a sharp stone

and flutters, lightly.

It is white and small

with brown chevrons,

perhaps from a young gull.

The feather, absently

dropped out during

a pecking,

a shedding of youth,

will be replaced with

the stiff long quill of

striving

and give height

over the glittering sea

and the littered land

and oh my

the sky is so high

now you are gone.

~ Kore Sage