From Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA,

I am not a huge poetry fan (although I do enjoy Art's occasional snipits),
but the following poem was passed to me with the thought that some on the
list might enjoy it.  The author's e-mail is at the end if anyone wants to
respond.  So, without further ado....

Hi
I am Val Magnuson, poet
Wrote the following piece which I think your group might enjoy:

SHELLS

Expatriates of stormy kingdoms

Cast to a different realm

Spindles, volutes, turrets

Extraordinary univalves

Lodged in temporary castles

amond the vacillating swells-

with stoicism sit,

The children of the sea

Awaiting their collection,

momentarily-

Frenzied winged and fingered creatures

The flocking multitudes

Ship corpses off to distant shelves

With worms and platitudes

Chambered nautilus repossessed

Poets scrambling for stiff pens

To toast the "Glory of the Sea"

Viewed only now and then

Tiger tritons trumpet

Queen Conch in rose hued gown

Bittersweet pieces rearranged

Along the spiny crowns-

Turbans, helmets, tulips

periwinkled bonnets tossed

At the fighting conch's finale

Dollars and stars at cost

The ocean has her fans

Peculiar specimens

Preferred by common hordes

And in conchology's metaphors

While fallen butterflies

In states of metamorphosis lie

Eternity crunching on-

Val Magnuson

C2001

all rights reserved

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