Today is National Author’s Day, and my friend and critique partner Linda Mitchell challenged our writing group, The Sunday Night Swaggers, to write a poem inspired by a favorite author.
When she challenged us, I thought of the most recent book I read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. According to The New York Times Book Review, this book is “Painfully beautiful…At once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative, and a celebration of nature.”
The poet in me was inspired by her beautiful writing about nature. I turned to a page and gathered words and lines to put together a poem “after Delia Owens.”
Sandbar
How quickly the sea and clouds
defeat the spring heat,
how the grand sweep of the sea
and sand catch-net the most precious shells.
How its current
designs a sandbar, and another
but never this one again.She had long known that people don’t stay.
This fiery current
was her heart-tide
releasing love to drift
among seaweed.How drifting back to the predictable cycles
Margaret Simon, found poem from Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
of tadpoles and the ballet of fireflies,
Nature is the only stone
that does not slip midstream.
Read my writing partners’ offerings for National Author’s Day:
Catherine at Reading to the Core
Linda at A Word Edgewise
Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone
Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe
Reflections on the Teche 
Wow. Just …. wow. From the tone setting, “How quickly…” to “never this one again,” “heart-tide,” and “only stone/ that does not slip midstream.”
Such rich images to wrap up in. Absolutely lovely.
I can understand why you chose this! Such rich imagery and metaphors. “Her heart-tide/releasing love to drift/among seaweed.”
I loved “Where the Crawdads Sing” & your poem, Margaret, that ending touches the book beautifully.
[…] my fellow Swaggers and check out their National Author Day-inspired posts, click on their names: Margaret Simon Heidi Mordhorst Linda Mitchell Catherine […]
I loved “Where the Crawdads Sing” and your poem is gorgeous, just like Delia Owen’s stunning imagery. What a great mentor choice for this challenge. These lines (among many others!) really resonated for me:
“How its current
designs a sandbar, and another
but never this one again.”
Apparently, I’m the one of the few people in the world who hasn’t read this book! I love the poem you crafted from Owens’s words, Margaret. Especially those “most precious shells.”
Stunning language! Like this…
This fiery current
was her heart-tide
releasing love to drift
among seaweed.
Wow. And that ending!
Did you take that shell photo, Margaret? Another “wow!”
The picture is from pexels.com. That site has a wealth of fabulous and free images.
Catherine’s not the only one who hasn’t read CRAWDADS–and yet I think you might have captured its essence in this finding! I can’t pick a favorite line. Nicely done.
Your poem captures the book. “She had long known that people don’t stay” is an evocative line. And nature, though it changes, is more predictable and trustworthy than people.
“How drifting back to the predictable cycles
of tadpoles and the ballet of fireflies,
Nature is the only stone
that does not slip midstream.”
Thanks for sharing these lovely bits of nature with us Margaret–we should always protect her!
Where the Crawdads Sing is on my to read list, but after reading your poem here, I’m moving it up in my list. How do you think it will work as an audiobook? It looks like that might be the fasted way to get it from my library.
I actually listened to it on Audible. I loved hearing it. It’s the kind of book that stays with you.
What a beautiful found poem. Now I want to read Where the Crawdads Sing.