The Sea

9/27/2013

I guess I'm on a roll with poems about the sea!

Living in Florida, we see bottlenose dolphins on a regular basis in the Intracoastal Waterway, and almost always when we go to the beach (Gulf of Mexico). It's always a thrill to see them, especially if there is more than one and they are up to some kind of shenanigans. One time I saw, perhaps, five or six dolphins swimming and leaping in a circle. It almost seemed choreographed and, certainly, dreamlike. Dolphins seem joyful to me in their expression and the sounds that they make. We sleep with the windows open and I can hear them in the darkness, blowing out through their blowhole as they surface and go back under. It is magical to hear them in the darkness and knowing they are out there while we sleep!

The Sea

Gazing out to sea,
I used to think the horizon
was just a line,
but now I understand
that somewhere beyond it
is where the farthest wave
begins its journey
to break at my feet.
I realize the salt air, here,
makes me breathe more deeply
than anywhere else,
and that the hot sand
fills my whole soul with warmth.

Now I can hear the music in the waves,
and pause to reflect that the sunlight far out
on the wild sea might be shining
on the backs of whales or joyful dolphins.

© 2010 B.J. Lee All Rights Reserved
first published in Long Story Short, November, 2010
slightly altered

30 Comments

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes link

9/26/2013 09:27:20 pm

I'm envious of your magical home by the sea, BJ! Sometimes my husband and I wonder wonder what's the point of living in Florida if we can't enjoy the ocean breeze. I too love those sounds of the sea-- your poem calls to me.

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 12:55:39 am

Hi Michelle - I'm glad my poem calls to you. These have indeed been magical days by the sea and I will miss them, but we are moving inland, no longer on the sea, but near a bayou. Living by the sea, we have found out, is too expensive!

jama link

9/27/2013 12:17:50 am

Magical poem, BJ. I'm also envious that you get to breathe that salty air and see and hear the dolphins. They're such amazing creatures; I've always wondered what they think of us. :)

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 12:57:08 am

Thank you, Jama. Dolphins are amazing! I wonder what they think of us as well. Well, I know what they think of their 'captors' at dolphin shows after viewing a horrifying documentary on their capture in Japan.

Andromeda Jazmon link

9/27/2013 12:53:05 am

How wonderful, to sleep with the windows open and hear the dolphins at play in the dark. Your poem captures the charm of it for sure!

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 12:58:31 am

Hi Andromeda! Yes it is wonderful to sleep with the windows open and hear the dolphins playing in the dark. It does get a bit sticky in the summer's but we'd rather have the natural air than the ac overnight!

Liz link

9/27/2013 03:14:06 am

BJ--I love hearing where the ocean sends your thoughts. Liz

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 04:29:59 am

Thanks Liz!

Matt Forrest

9/27/2013 04:58:30 am

Just as in life, what we see is only a small portion of what really exists...well done!

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 08:42:26 am

Thanks Matt! That's kind of you to say.

jone link

9/27/2013 05:50:50 am

Oh the sea and sea salt smell and the farthest wave.

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 08:43:13 am

Oh the sea!

Linda Baie link

9/27/2013 07:27:52 am

We never saw a group together this summer, but the joy of seeing one leaping, joyful was enough. I love the poem's words about hearing the music in the waves, BJ, and that you get to hear the dolphins from your bed is just awesome.

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 08:44:52 am

Yes, the joy of seeing one leap is, incredible. Yes, it's actually been pretty awesome living here, but soon we move away from the shore a little bit inland. Then you'll hear tales of the bayou!

Myra from GatheringBooks link

9/27/2013 11:32:48 am

So gorgeous, B.J., and what a gift to see dolphins in most days. Every time I see a dolphin, I'm reminded of Madeleine L'Engle's A Ring of Endless Light, have you read that one yet? Lots of allusions about dolphins and how sentient they are. :)

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 12:58:24 pm

Thank you, Myra! and thanks for reminding me about that book - I've been meaning to read that for years. I need to write it down on my list so I remember.

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater link

9/27/2013 11:42:03 am

What a beautiful thing to think about where the sun is shining...and on the backs of dolphins and whales! Congratulations on your string of beautiful sea-inspired poems. I hope you share more such warm and watery poems when we Northerners are buried in snow. :)

B.J. Lee

9/27/2013 01:03:08 pm

Thanks so much, Amy! and thank you for stopping by! I'm from Boston so I understand the Northerner's winter. I'll tell you, I don't miss it. Although we have to live through brutal heat here in the summer, I prefer that to the freezing winters up north. ~BJ

Catherine Johnson link

9/27/2013 03:27:25 pm

Beautiful analysis of the sea.

B.J. Lee

9/28/2013 01:17:30 am

Thanks so much, Catherine!

Heidi Mordhorst

9/27/2013 10:47:15 pm

That hot sand feeling, the speculation about whose back the sun is also shining on--nice! It makes me feel like your poem needs different title, one that catches that far-reaching warmth. Oh wait--this isn't the Garage! : )

B.J. Lee

9/28/2013 01:19:01 am

Haha, Heidi! You know, I didn't put this one through the Garage! Maybe it could use a better title... Thanks for stopping by!

Ruth link

9/28/2013 04:43:52 am

What a lovely thought, to wonder what the sun is shining on in the middle of the ocean!

B.J. Lee

9/28/2013 04:57:05 am

Thank you, Ruth! and thanks for stopping by!

Jeannine Atkins link

9/28/2013 09:22:45 am

Lovely. I especially like the idea of the horizon no longer being a line, and how one might look beyond.

B.J. Lee

9/28/2013 12:12:24 pm

Thanks so much, Jeannine!

Becky Shillington link

10/2/2013 08:51:10 am

BJ, this is just breathtaking! Your FL inspired poetry makes me miss living in FL so much!

B.J. Lee

10/3/2013 01:07:46 am

Thank you, Becky! I guess I hadn't realized how much of an inspiration Florida is, but you're right, I'm definitely writing a lot of poems about the ocean and Florida sea creatures! I'll be curious to see how my writing shifts when we move away from the Intracoastal inland to a bayou area.

Robyn Waayers link

10/29/2013 02:32:34 am

This a a wonderful blog B.J.! And this is a little gem of a poem. It reminds me of my childhood ramblings on the beaches of Maryland and Delaware, thinking about all the possibilities out there in that wide mysterious ocean.

B.J. Lee

12/9/2013 11:11:35 pm

thank you, Robyn! I'm glad it jogged some good memories for you! Thanks for stopping by!

Author

B. J. Lee is a children’s author and poet. Her picture book, There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth, is launching with Pelican Publishing on February 15, 2019. She has poems in 25 poetry anthologies published by Little, Brown, Wordsong, BloomsburyUK, National Geographic, Otter-Barry Books, Pomelo Books, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has worked with anthologists Lee Bennett Hopkins, J. Patrick Lewis and Kenn Nesbitt. She has written poems for such children’s magazines as Spider, Highlights and The School Magazine. Follow her on Twitter @bjlee_writer.

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