The Assuring Shell

Dancing on the shore, I tripped on a shell

It bit my foot. A mouldy, brown burnt bun

Thorny like a rose stem, and a stale smell 

I held it up to the radiant sun.

It was lukewarm; I thought it would be cold

Fused in with the sunset, a work of art

Azure, spring buds, fuchsias and streaks of gold

The hues which swirl out of its sterling heart

But the winds howled louder, darkness closed in

And then I heard the tiniest whisper.

‘Don’t be afraid’, I nimbly felt sanguine 

My mother’s serene voice ‘Light isn’t far’

So when I’m lonely and my mum’s away 

I listen to what the shell has to say