“Put the shell to you ear,
you will hear the sea”
he said.
So I did.
But I didn’t hear the sea
I heard instead
A crash and an explosion
The sound of star dust in speeding motion
The surge of air
The buckling of land.
The forging of a world under God’s hand.
I heard the foundation of life
The struggle to live
The growing of limbs
The push towards air
The feel of light
A babies first cry.
To be born
To live
To die.
The scream of life emerging from the womb
The quietness of an empty room
The stillness of space
So I dropped the shell and told Da that I hadn’t heard the sea
He looked at me
Quizzical like and said.
“So what did you hear lad”?
“Everything” I said.
Except the sea
“But that’s ok. I don’t need to hear it anyway.
I heard it before I put the shell to my ear.”
I pointed and said.
“The sea is right here
Not in a shell
On some other shore.”
So I took his hand and we walked on some more.
© Dave Kavanagh @ daithiocaomanaigh.com