The Oyster | Poem

The Oyster | Poem

Under the storm I was born

And through the waves I spun

I couldn’t tell up from down

Wishing to be found


But each turn made me stronger

More prepared for peace

Longing made the days go longer

What would I do for stillness


I woke up pressed against a rock

Clinging hard for my life

Waves lapping up against my back

Rocking me into the night


It was the warmth that awoke

Calm wrapping all around 

Spiral of light feeding my soul

This is where I’ll build my home


I built my house on the rock

With the strongest armour I could make

Layer upon layer until I couldn’t hear

What was happening in that place


Inside my fortress I rest my head

Each night I dream of that storm

As soon as I lay down to bed

I wake and remember my form


Jagged exterior, armours that slice

So there is peace in my waking life

Nothing can enter my paradise

Protected from what stirs outside.


And yet each night I toss and turn

Something broken deep within

Can’t I escape? This peace I earned.

Somehow bleeding I think, my skin.


I reflect on my dreams

To find the source of my pain

A part of me broken,

never to be healed again


So I find a way to protect myself

From this part that broke away

I cover soft layers of my shell

And do it again everyday.


And now this pain I have transformed

Into something truly mine

This light within I have adorned

A memory intwined with thine.