The Ocean
Sanaa -
October 8, 2017
Earlier PoemsPoetry

The ocean remembers
be them mortal remains tied to its depths
or screams that meld with billowing waves

I can see them, their silent forms
as they haul past sins from the ocean’s bed
their lips as they shiver from cold and dread

Only a few fragments
of humanity and hope are left to be seen
as the night lets out unremitting breath
The ocean remembers

 

Photo credits: Thomas Eakins

Posted for “Camera Flash” @ Real Toads

Posted on Poetry Pantry @ Poets United 

66 Responses

  1. Bjorn Rudberg says:
    October 8, 2017 at 4:04 am

    Oh I can feel this… as if we were just shadows, the ocean will be there, a canvas for our brushstrokes.

    Reply
  2. Mary says:
    October 8, 2017 at 5:39 am

    Yes, the ocean remembers.
    So few remnants of humanity and/or hope!

    Reply
  3. Sara McNulty says:
    October 8, 2017 at 8:19 am

    I love the beginning line. It was a good closer as well. Who is more ancient than the ocean?

    Reply
  4. Candy says:
    October 8, 2017 at 10:31 am

    This is beautifully haunting!

    Reply
  5. Old Egg says:
    October 8, 2017 at 1:40 pm

    Poetry as dark as the picture! What sadness you have evoked in your poem. Beautifully written.

    Reply
  6. Kim M. Russell says:
    October 8, 2017 at 3:15 pm

    Oh yes, the ocean remembers, and I love the idea of past sins being hauled from its bed.

    Reply
  7. Miranda says:
    October 8, 2017 at 4:43 pm

    These lines hold such a deep resonance, Sanaa. The image in the second stanza is particularly effective.

    Reply
  8. paul scribbles says:
    October 8, 2017 at 5:33 pm

    Interesting play with words. Could this ocean be a metaphor for our times now?

    Reply
  9. John Buchanan says:
    October 8, 2017 at 5:56 pm

    I love the imagery in this poem, thanks for sharing it with us.

    Reply
  10. Thotpurge says:
    October 8, 2017 at 7:03 pm

    screams that meld with billowing waves…. this bring to mind the refugee crisis and the boats on the Mediterranean and how we’re all just watching.

    Reply
  11. vandana says:
    October 8, 2017 at 7:33 pm

    So many secrets inside…

    Reply
  12. Magaly Guerrero says:
    October 8, 2017 at 7:34 pm

    We can only hope our memory is as good as the ocean’s… and that our wisdom is as big.

    Reply
  13. Vinay Leo R. says:
    October 8, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    Only a few fragments
    of humanity and hope are left to be seen.

    But it is for that that we continue going forward, I guess.

    Reply
  14. Magical Mystical Teacher says:
    October 8, 2017 at 11:21 pm

    Nature (the ocean, the rivers, the streams) remembers things that we would rather forget. How? I do not know, but like you, I know that it’s true.

    Reply
  15. Susie Clevenger says:
    October 9, 2017 at 1:08 am

    “I can see them, their silent forms
    as they haul past sins from the ocean’s bed
    their lips as they shiver from cold and dread”

    Love this!

    Reply
  16. Bev says:
    October 9, 2017 at 1:32 am

    A dark poem, drawn skillfully from the photo. How many “past sins” does the ocean hold? Somber and evocative writing.

    Reply
  17. Sherry Blue Sky says:
    October 9, 2017 at 2:01 am

    The ocean does remember……There is a haunting feel to this poem which I like very much.

    Reply
  18. Myrna says:
    October 9, 2017 at 3:27 am

    I like the eerie feel of this. It is like a doomsday prophecy. One we all fear. Good writing Sanaa.

    Reply
  19. Isadora Gruye says:
    October 9, 2017 at 3:39 am

    I really liked where this prompt took you, the idea of the sea holding all these memories and terrors is a chilling one. You captured it beautifully.

    Reply
  20. Jamztoma says:
    October 9, 2017 at 3:47 am

    A lot of sins happen in the ocean and yes, the ocean remembers. Great write Sanaa! 🙂

    Reply
  21. Colleen@ LOOSELEAFNOTES says:
    October 9, 2017 at 4:57 am

    The ocean sure has many stories to tell.

    Reply
  22. Audrey says:
    October 9, 2017 at 5:49 am

    Beautiful frame on this–and you are right–the ocean does remember.

    Reply
  23. Truedessa says:
    October 9, 2017 at 6:20 am

    The ocean remembers as energy is ongoing and perhaps, the ocean strikes back a bit. Let’s hope the ocean is forgiving.

    Reply
  24. Wendy Bourke says:
    October 9, 2017 at 6:31 am

    Haunting … poignant … impactful words in a mesmerizing cadence. An awesome job on this!

    Reply
  25. marja says:
    October 9, 2017 at 8:26 am

    The ocean remembers.. haunting and powerful and amazing poem.

    Reply
  26. ZQ says:
    October 9, 2017 at 9:08 am

    This was very good, Sanaa 🙂

    Reply
  27. kaykuala says:
    October 9, 2017 at 11:21 am

    Only a few fragments
    of humanity and hope are left to be seen

    The danger of being ignored is very real!

    Hank

    Reply
  28. gillena says:
    October 9, 2017 at 12:38 pm

    All those secrets of history rocked in the waves of the ocean. Yes she remembers and stores them

    Thanks for droppibg by my Sunday Standard Sanaa

    Much💖love

    Reply
  29. Amrit Sinha says:
    October 9, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    Perhaps there are a lot many stories flowing through the ocean. The ocean has seen it all, and remembers them very well. Loved the imagination and your narration in this poetic piece 🙂

    Reply
  30. Namy says:
    October 9, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    This poem evokes such sadness. So few fragments of humanity and hope left.. so true..

    Reply
  31. Brendan says:
    October 9, 2017 at 4:49 pm

    “the ocean remembers” is a startling idea — not new but always it nudges us, clarifying our intelligence with its greater dark totality. Night and sleep and dream subsume us, and we crawl forth at dawn reduced to walking feet and counting words. Loved it.

    Reply
  32. Rosemary Nissen-Wade says:
    October 9, 2017 at 7:44 pm

    Great line / great refrain: ‘The ocean remembers’.

    Reply
  33. Marian says:
    October 10, 2017 at 6:14 pm

    So gritty.

    Reply

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