A Writer's Littoral

Inspiration.

A Writer's Littoral

by alice oiseau

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Once upon a summer evening

I whispered to my pen:

When waves don't come to my shore anymore,

Teardrops will take their place.

 

Along this beach I pace,

Sweetest nostalgia of whitecaps crashing on my sand,

Racing at the speed of light, arching their back, calling for me as they wash my feet and hands,

And along this beach I retrace.

Footprints.

 

Pity my heart, for it aches tremendously without the high tide,

How I miss the spray as it ricochets off black rocks,

Dreams of starry nights and memories when a lover's breath died,

And how I put every seashell in my red box.

 

Small ripples parallel my reflection as I search the coast

I search and search for the strongest current, the tallest wave, the coldest water.

As I did search, my lips did quiver for I found such immense emptiness.

And as I did search, pale I did turn like a ghost,

My toes now numb to the warm sand.

 

Waiting, I take delight in little waves that caress

Still though, I remember

Hoping just maybe it will crash unto me and pull me into the undertow

Like it once did one year six months ago.

 

But till then, I lay restlessly with my head in the clouds

Desperately trying to shut out the faint tolling of Donne's bell

Eyes closed and facing the open sea

With teardrops on dry seashells

Make this my last plea.

 

Author's Note

A piece I wrote for Lit class, the lesson on Romanticism.

Reviews

[Eternally Elemental]

I made time to sit and actually READ for once hahaha

This has to be the most amazing thing I have read this year. I went for a period of 4 months without writing anything at all. Absolutely nothing. And every day in between I felt like this. There was never enough high to inspire and yet I never felt any words come from my lower moments.
It really was a search trying to find something, and it really brought me down because it made me realize I had nothing at all worth writing about. I had NOTHING. It really pained me because I know I am now a writer at heart and I could sit in front of a page for an hour with nothing.

Retracing my own footsteps! Like you mention in your piece! I have read over and over through all of my work wondering if I had spent all my juice hahahaha!
And I missed being able to create an expression or an image. It was like a non-existent love I could not find in any corner of the universe.

I guess life answered MY plea at the end of the 4 months. Now I found my shore. My waves have returned and they are more stunning than ever in sunrise and sunset.

Stunning piece that touched me on so many levels. A writer without inspiration is like a body without a heart. It's a life saver when the pulse returns.

Argh! I have read this 6 times and am still entranced.

Amazing Alice, truly amazing. A+ indeed. I only wish I could say more.

[Praiser]

SUPER OUTSTANDING FOR A STORY OR A MOVIE

[Jibey]

I enjoyed returning to read it once more... Such a moving, heartfelt piece of writing

[indieRokker]

Truly amaizngly breathtaking. Onion below has thoroughly expressed most of how beautiful this piece is Alice :)
Keep up the great job.

indie♥

[Jibey]

How often the sea inspires us with its endless life and power... the sense of nostalgia for a lost past and the approach of death toll powerfully in this lament... It is a poem for all of us..

[J. Alexis Balaguer]

A+

[Honeypot]

I'm surious how you did on the assignment? I bet your teacher was blown away by the
depth and imagery of this piece. From the very first stanza the reader knows they are
in for something very special and you never disappoint. Your writing is always like that
of somebody older and who has been through many ordeals and filled with many regrets
and wishes for change. I love your usage of the shore line metaphors.

Its really beautiful. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything else from you.

[Big ol' Kahuna]

Wow this is truly wonderfully done. On the surface it sweeps you away and the visual creation is wonderfully done. Under the surface however to me anyway by stanza it seems to go from remembrence, then restlessness, followed by sorrow, searching, waiting, and finally the desperate plea; like having a taste of a wonderful relationship, a peak of love, or of such a joyous time in life, and then having it stripped away, leaving you filled with infatuation, of longing, and the over bearing desire to return to that peak, if only the one you were pleaing to would return that feeling and allow it. Embrace it.
Maybe, however, this just got me thinking too hard, but either way, it was a beautiful peice and very well written. Thanks for the trip of the mind. Great job, as usual.

[bluessadmood]

God this was so good ,I swear you took me by surprise as I came here by accident ha ha
this is so dreamy full of wonderful images ,I swear I almost felt the waves hitting me in the feet and face
the water so cold like a child playing ,always coming in and going,never making a mind to stay or leave..
When waves wont come to my shores tear drops will fall..along the sands i walk,waves crashing beneath
dreams of a starry nights and memories when a lovers breath just died,I search strong waves the cold water
and I am taken by the immense emptiness,and I turn plea like a ghost,toes numb on warm sands
i lay restless my head in the clouds,eyes closed facing the sea,tear drops fall as I make my last plea
Oh what loveliness..this is like a short story or lovely movie as sweet sunset..I could see all this
lovely write..

[Ramza]

Beautiful, just beautiful. The word choice and imagery are great. It feels like the person is looking for closure in the scenery of the ocean, that she is both absorbing its raw beauty but at the same time loathing it for taking away someone she cared for. I can't find anything wrong with the piece, so great job and continue to write more!