Of Limpets & the Ebb and Flow of Stress
By Rhiannonw
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(Littoral life)
Storms and drought,
constant turn-about
comfort zone ebbs away –
challenges bitter
confuse and batter –
the frying, drying heat –
(exposed to shocks
malicious knocks),
longing to bathe once more
in cushion-medium as before
but wrapped in armour-plating, waiting
shell-sheltered, sealed with capture
of essential moisture
– internal cache, to sustain
until the tide has turned again.
[Poetry monthly August: littoral (I’m using it in the sense of inter-tidal ecoZone, metaphorically)]
Photograph my own, Porteinon, Gower
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Comments
Lovely limpets illustrated in
Lovely limpets illustrated in words, it makes me think their limpet lives are not so unlike ours with the endless cycle of day and night, work and rest. Cruel to try and prize them from the rock but we've all done it I think. Love the idea of them waiting in their shell shelters.
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Wow, a new way of looking at
Wow, a new way of looking at limpets. Yes the roasting summer may cause them discomfort but as you say, they have protection.
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"comfort zone ebbs away" is
"comfort zone ebbs away" is wonderful description of tide going out for all the sea life left behind. And how clever to think of shell with shelter. Never knowing where the shocks and malicious knocks might come from, waiting in faith for the cushion to return
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