Weekly Creative Writing #14

       "But more wonderful than the lore of old men and the lore of books is the secret lore of ocean."
                                                                     ~H. P. Lovecraft

The breakers on the shoreline never rest.  The sound of the briny water on the rocks, the shimmery glare of the setting or rising sun off the surface of the sea, these are sounds and sights which all who have ever been near the seaside have known, no matter what epoch in history  they heard or saw them.  We listen to dusty records of gramophones for sounds of a bygone era, and yet right before us is a sound, a sight, a smell which remains as little else does from times past.  We listen to the stories, wonderful and terrible, of the doings of mankind from our ancestors, but will we take a moment and listen to the sea?  Listen to her stories, older than the most ancient runes or ciphers, of how men tried to cross her in ships, listen for the fantastic successes and the tragic failures.  Listen, for it’s all there, in a rhythmic, roaring whisper to our imaginations.  Stand on the shore, dry and warm, breathe the air, and close your eyes.  Let her tell you of deep, blue spaces larger than our imaginations, stone still, yet full of life.  Of mysteries that lie buried in open tombs which her creatures turn into flourishing cities.  Walk along her shores and search for things she throws to land, and listen to the stories they tell your eyes.  A simple stone tells you of millennia beneath the waves, shaped by the brine, that most skillful artisan, and her assistant, time.  A shell speaks of the sub-marine toil of a beast seeking shelter from the shadows which loomed overhead.  She’s a book we can never hope to finish, a tale we’ll never hear the end of, and a voice who will outlive us all.  The books we keep our thoughts on for those to come will become nothing but dust.  The engravings on stones will share the same fate as the ink on the frail pages.  The salty air and the great, ponderous depths, however, will speak to the hearts of men come what may.

For the incredible counterpart of this weekly themed creative writing project, visit my friend's amazing blog http://thedancingladybug.blogspot.com/