Jellyfish swim at the whim of the ocean tides
They arrive on the beach
Leaving people streaming out of the water
Cursing jellyfish
Who (you’ll recall) arrive at the whim of the ocean
And die parched deaths
High and dry
Away from the tide
That delivered them.
Thoughts arise unbidden
Create emotions
that often need to be hidden
An event comes along
New thoughts
Fresh emotions
Some are frightening
Sad and deep
These are the ones we need to keep
carefully arranged behind a smile
Futile
Is the word that springs to mind
A child pokes a dying jellyfish with a stick
Families pack up and leave the beach
trailing plastic and the smell of sunscreen behind them
I turn a page in my book
And pity the jellyfish
Pity the child
Pity myself
For pitying
Futile
Is the word that springs to mind
A tide of thoughts
A tide of emotion
Why do we cling to things
That are merely in motion
As natural as the cycle of the moon
Is that of the plight
Of a human being beneath a mood
And a jellyfish
on the tide
Photo: beach in the afternoon.
Hi Kate,
Many jelly fish memories here.
“A tide of thoughts
A tide of emotion
Why do we cling to things
That are merely in motion”
❤️
Good to see you again.. we lost touch.
I’ve only just returned Cindy. I duck in and out of this world, but I feel 2025 is a year of creation, poetry and art – so I’m here for it. I hope you are well ✨
Kate! It’s great to see you back! 🙂 i remember you were branching off to do some work related challenge you set for yourself. i’m sure that went well and now you’re looking to create here again. as always, can’t wait to read more! Mike
Thanks Mike. I had to drop a couple of balls to scoop up some new ones but am now juggling again 🎾🏀🏈⚾️⚽️🏐😊✨
i like the way you put it!
I love that: ‘a human being beneath a mood’; so accurate — I’m in one now and struggling to get out of it; yes, and pity the poor jellyfish: you don’t see poems about them —
I’m allergic to jelly fish John or the sea life they carry anyway – I still feel sorry for them and as for humans… I hope you get out of your mood soon, they are an everyday, every hour, every minute thing really – but like the Stockmarket 😊
I’m out of it, thanks Kate —
So beautiful and sad
Great piece, Kate ❤️
Thankyou 😊
Most welcome
A few weeks back, for the first time, I saw sea snails feasting on blue bottles on the shore. Something else we curse and are so careful to avoid, yet sustenance for another creature, in an ecosystem which is theirs…yet we go there expecting the other creatures to vanish, for our convenience and comfort
Haha I know. People curse the blue bottles and jelly fish which are as helpless against a wind and tide as leaves blown down a river. I read an article about blue bottles on the week-end, they are incredibly interesting ancient life forms.