Day 15: Mosaic de La Mona – Sea Glass and Second Chances

Collecting sea glass from Lala Beach to Córcega

Broken pieces of shattered vessels
smoothed by a journey after death
through sand and sea

Fragments lost to the ocean’s current
but not lost at sea like we would be

The tide returns them briefly
tossed and worn opaque
once vibrant hues muted
green, blue, amber, ivory

And if I pluck them from the shore
they’ll not toil anymore

Canal de La Mona, savior of straights
take all my shattered pieces
round the sharp edges past Isla de Mona
to the Dominican Republic and back

Unbind me in the Caribbean Sea
Refine me in the North Atlantic

And when you return me to this beach
another visitor will gather the fragments
and make a mosaic: tossed and smoothed

Broken pieces become a masterpiece

It’s the Ides of April, and we’re halfway through National Poetry Month. Today’s post was inspired by the tropical paradise that is Rincón, my friend Jeaselie’s recommendation for this spring break getaway with my oldest brother, David. I was reminded to savor my last day on the island, so I perched on some rocks beneath the shade of a coconut tree and and put the day into stanzas.