Evelyn Greenlee
I know you as a seashell knows the waves
that crash upon it peeking from the sand
in rhythms it has come to understand;
exactly how the swirls of foam behave.
I hear your voice just like the seashell hears
the churning softness of each breaking swell.
It knows the gentle push and pull so well
and senses when the salty water nears.
But to the waves, so vast and dark and vain,
a meager seashell in amongst the shore
is meaningless and easy to let go.
Someone like me, unbeautiful and plain,
to you is but a face and nothing more.
I love you but you’ll never even know.
This poem was submitted alongside “Snowflakes”. When asked about the inspiration for this piece, Evelyn said, “Both of these poems came from me recognizing aspects of myself, my feelings, and my experiences in small moments of nature. By using these sort of universal images, for example, a clump of snowflakes falling down outside my window or a seashell beneath the waves, I was able to express myself in a way that hopefully other people can relate to or understand.”
