Ocean as Inheritance

I see my mothers’ faces—
dozens along a single break
their braids crisscross my feet
their skirts ruffle at the shore
I am salty with their grace
their words confronting
my own hurricane—
a resurrection of waves.

© 2017 Melissa Currence

I spent a relaxing week with my writing friends at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Our gathering was jokingly referred as #poetforce, which I think it is a pretty cool name for a writing conference. We feasted on seafood, lounged on the beach and scared the waitstaff with our notebooks and long periods of silence. The Virginia poet Blanche Robinson Williams inspired this poem, so I’m including an example of her poetry below.

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