The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever

Jacques Cousteau

Poem: Shard [on grief] by Lily Robinson

Shard-on-grief-2 Shard [on grief]: I coil and shudder in pain.

Lily Robinson, a wild swimmer and poet from the UK, commented that my relationship with the ocean inspired her. Our connection sparked a unique collaboration between us, her words, my visuals and narration. May Lily's evocative words and my images help you find the courage to face and move through your own grief.

Shard [on grief]
By Lily Robinson


This morning I woke, fathoms deep,
Fighting.
Pinned to the bottom of the sea.
Trapped in a cloud of swirling sand
And ink thick liminality.
Resisting the seduction of a vortex
And you, the axis of sweet control,
As I rip and slip from your tentacle grip
And a love that would swallow me whole.

I feel it here still,
Navel deep;
The Leaving.
I coil and shudder in pain.
The silence rings as heavy as a hundredweight bell
And I know I will not see you again.

For my torso is pink and yours is as bone
Greying on the ocean floor.
And as I swim, now resolutely, to the surface
I gasp light, raise ribs and restore.

But you leave me with a scar, a glistening shard
Hidden by an artery.
To remove it would be dangerous
Corrupting the essence of me.
It would leave me without your precious gift
In the form of technicolour sight
And a love that was as fierce as the exploding sun
Cradled in the diamond night.

© Lily Robinson 2021 

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Comments 1

Guest - Anonymous on Saturday, 18 September 2021 17:10
Powerful

What a powerful piece! I am profoundly moved by these words of grief and the remarkable photography.

Together this cooperative blending of kindred souls is one to be shared. Is there anyone alive who has not felt such grief?

What a powerful piece! I am profoundly moved by these words of grief and the remarkable photography. Together this cooperative blending of kindred souls is one to be shared. Is there anyone alive who has not felt such grief?
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