Where water is, or is but rarely seen –
in banks and beds of streams, by shores of lakes,
on coastal beaches and the ocean floors,
from desert plains to barren canyon walls,
across the earth in undulating robes,
or spinning crystal threads – there are the sands.
A billion prisms are the crystal sands
refracting all the colors ever seen:
In brilliant white or golden seaside robes,
and mocha sheets that shimmer by the lakes,
or rainbow tapestries on canyon walls,
and carpets trimmed in rose on desert floors.
The colors spin and drift across the floors
as wind and water paint with time and sands.
The ageless frescoes on the canyon walls
are but the timeless sands in layers seen.
The deserts white were once the beds of lakes,
and plains once verdant now wear dun for robes.
Our kind has made its beds in all the robes.
We’ve drawn our cultures on the sandy floors,
with cities daubed on shores of streams and lakes,
with tracks of nomads trailing through the sands.
But tracings in the sand are briefly seen,
and sands of time still bury city walls.
Yet we exist though sand has claimed our walls.
We’ve come to know the comforts of the robes
of every new then native land we’ve seen.
We swirl across and lightly etch the floors,
then spin away, replaced by other sands,
our sediments dispersed in ancient lakes.
Like sand, our lives in time will fill the lakes;
then we’ll become the clay for other walls.
And so our race is timeless as the sands;
spread out upon the earth in quilted robes,
a vibrant carpet for our storied floors
in all the colors that we’ve ever seen.
In beds of lakes, in dunes like flowing robes,
in ancient walls, on windswept desert floors;
are all the sands – and men – that time has seen.
In a list
A contest entry
- Contest #600 by Samplette.
3500 points, ended November 14, 2008, 11 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Sands Of Time by BloodDragonRuler.
825 points, ended November 23, 29 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Sestina Contest! by KnightOfTheRose.
1500 points, ended December 1, 25 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 16 of 16
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Very nice. Perfect iambic pentameter.
The piece flowed beautifully. Thank you for taking the time to enter. Excellent work and I wish you the best of luck in my contest.
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Very Thought Provoking
"we’ll become the clay for other walls.
And so our race is timeless as the sands"
This reminds me of the importance of form in determining what a thing is. What it is made of and its forms are both essential.
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Excellent write!! I loved the imagery in this piece! Thnx for entering the contest.
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Really liked this a lot. I couldn't resist a sestina. Very good.
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Just checking out your poetry (came from your contest) - this is brilliant. I'd love to say more but I don't think you need to hear it
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Thank you very much! This is one of my sister's favorites. I enjoyed writing it, but I didn't think much of it until she mentioned it in a letter she wrote to me. I always enjoy seeing her good opinion of something I do vindicated by others' remarks!
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I'm back to comment again. Lines and phrases I particularly love : "We swirl across and lightly etch the floors", "Across the earth in undulating robes/............
there are the sands" "Or rainbow tapestries on canyon walls,/ And carpets trimmed in rose on desert floors". "And sands of time still bury city walls." I look forward to reading more of your work. I love the way you use repetition especially in this piece.
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Thank you for the detailed, encouraging comments.
I am probably the worst on site for returning the favor when someone reads and comments on a poem of mine, but I do appreciate people stopping by to look. Please do not ever feel obligated to comment, or to respond in kind for comments I leave. Reading poetry should be a delight and not a chore!
I read a lot more poems than I comment on, mostly because I like to leave comments from which the poet can tell I actually read the poem - much as you have done here.
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This is very beautiful, unfortunately I don't have time to fully appreciate this now, be back later: I think I want to read all of your poetry, if your iambic is as elegant and expressive as this, and even if it isn't. As for the title, it's Wonderful.
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OH - you have written a labor of love - a Sestina, and brilliantly so. I felt like I was sifting Egyptian sands where life and knowledge are somewhere hidden.
A beautiful Sestina with wonderful visual imagery and exceptional flow. My hat's off to you sir. Well done. ~Pamela
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Excellent entry.
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This is a beautifully written & excellently crafted sestina. I love the way it ends on a cyclic note 'Like sand, our lives in time will fill the lakes;
Then we’ll become the clay for other walls'. This certainly deserved silver if not better.
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Moving
Robes and winds, men and particles , all nomads on this earth. You poem recalls a childhood past time of examining sand under a pocket microscope, and wondering from where over the earth all the beautiful bits had come from. To be found reassembled here for our enjoyment.
Delighted to have found your work again, and have the privilege to comment on it, Mr. Mosley!
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When I saw your screen name yesterday, I wondered if that was you, Carol. There are several folks from the old site who have found their way here. You may find yourself getting re-acquainted with old favorites while meeting new ones.
"God looks at a Mule" remains one of my favorite poems, and I am glad to see it posted here. I'll look for other oldies as well as your newbies from more recent imagination. -
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Hi Ben, Yes, it's me! Wonderful it is to find familiar smiling faces here, and such great talent. I look forward to reading your new work also! Carol
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This is a wonderfully crafted sestina. Beautiful words so gracefully written. Thank you so much for entering the contest.
Sam
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