Tucked in sand, neck glinting under evening sun,
I spot a green bottle, the color of an emerald frog.
Kneeling, I brush tiny grains, each falling away
like a clock ticking our moments on Earth.
A crab scurries across my foot, a seagull shakes her wing —
Inside I can see a note, folded twice over,
creased in specific care.
The bottle smells of seaweed, fearless dolphins
and places I’ve never been.
Poking a stick at the note, the sides scrape,
a gritty sound surprising louder than the waves.
I shake the bottle, the message recedes further
from my reach.
As more time passes, I’m more convinced,
what’s inside will change the World.
The sun eventually sets, over bottle and me,
moonlight undulating on an ebbing tide.
Giving up, I fling it back at the horizon, and the note falls out.
Slowly unfolding the creases, I see it says nothing,
yet its message tells me, “everything is here.”
The idea, to imagine a message in a bottle, was provided by Amy Bartell.... much gratitude!
The idea, to imagine a message in a bottle, was provided by Amy Bartell.... much gratitude!
