Chip chip Reward
These wet rocks,
where the tide has been,
Barnacled white and weeded,
Brown sandals gingerly,
Wend their way across as if,
Asking questions of ocean stir,
Still clinging to soles and stone,
Some days a catch of shells,
Settle in between crevasses,
Waiting willingly to flavor a pot,
So they come searching with,
Buckets and pails for the reward.
© gillena cox 2026
Note: Chip chip" refers primarily to small Donax coquina clams found on the east coast beaches of Trinidad, particularly in Mayaro. They are a popular local seafood delicacy, often boiled, cleaned to remove sand, and prepared in curries or as "chip chip accra"[from google]
LISTEN
Challenge: to take inspiration from the opening line from Edna St Vincent Millay’s poem “Low tide.”
These wet rocks where the tide has been, barnacled white and weeded brown. In writing a new poem.
❧✿❧


Beautiful Gillena. So much fun gathering those shells.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation, Dwight
ReplyDeleteMuch love
👏👏👏👏
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Jay
DeleteMuch love
The rocks can capture the bounty of the sea! I hadn't heard of "chip chip" before. 🦪
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by, Merril
DeleteMuch love
This was lovely. I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation, Christopher
ReplyDeleteMuch love
This is absolutely stunning, Gillena! Wow! I love how the opening line served as a springboard for the poem ❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation, Sanaa
DeleteMuch love
Nice one, Gillena!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation, Kim
ReplyDeleteMuch love
Gillena,
ReplyDeleteI like these lines,
Wend their way across as if,
Asking questions of ocean stir,
I also appreciate how the end of your poem loops back to the beginning.
Great to meet you on the live dVerse gathering.
Thank you for your appreciation, Ali
ReplyDeleteMuch love