So much more has become
of tiny, briny crystals, salty tears
collecting on seaweed or in oyster shells
to conjure shiny pearls.
Rising to the surface,
they’re tossed in storms,
ebb and flow out of reach,
or delight us on sandcastles on a beach.
Kim M. Russell, 8th September 2025
Monday has come around again, and, at the dVerse Poets Pub, so has the Quadrille, this week with De, who is making much of poems. Today, the word we are including in our poems of precisely 44 words is ‘much’.
writing in north norfolk 
Love this, Kim. There is literally nothing better than a walk on the beach.
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Thank you, De. We went for a walk on the beach yesterday – and nearly got blown away! We enjoyed it all the same.
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This is so lovely, so calming (thank you). Beach walks are so restorative.
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Thank you, Merril. Despite the wind, I enjoyed my Sunday walk on the beach close to where I used to live. Lots of nostalgia.
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You’re welcome, Kim. That sounds lovely.
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Very nice, Kim. The beach is full of mystery!
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Thank you, Dwight.
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You are welcome
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I think this is one of those instances where the reader is taking a poem in a different direction than the poet intended. For me this poem is just so sad but then so much of my life connects to these images. Thank you very much for posting it.
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Thank you for your appreciation, Aaron.
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Kim, this feels to me like a subtle yet powerful meditation on growth and resilience, gained from walking along the shore – love it ❤️
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Thank you, Ange. ❤
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💕
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That first stanza is sheer bliss!
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Thank you, Colleen.
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pearls conjured from grains of sand never fails to amaze me. i hope a giant pearl grows out of this grit.
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Me too, Lisa.
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Lovely poem.
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Thank you, Maria.
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This was wonderful. I can see and feel the magic of the ocean and beach.
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Thank you, Truedessa.
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I love how this flows – effortless as the waves and also like how your thoughts end with a sandcastle – Jae
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Thank you, Jae. I went to the beach on Sunday; there were no sandcastles, just the wind making patterns in the sand.
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Nice reminder of our summers in Montauk. Lovely verse, Kim. 🏰
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Thank you, Nancy.
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I love this! We’re walking with you on the shore. I can hear the waves call.
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Thank you for joining me.
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Lovely poem
much♡love
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Thank you, Gillena, and much love to you.
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I think you have the tenderest heart. To think about this … so profound. I love it. Thanks Kim.
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Thank you so much, Selma, I’m delighted you like it.
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So beautiful, calm and contemplative, a pearl of a poem Kim. 🙂
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Thank you, Dianne.
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Beautiful! I Iove the way it builds up, piece by piece.
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Thank you very much, Rosemary.
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Of the myriad gemstones, silver, gold, platinum jewelry … pearls are my favorite. I love your quadrille.
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Thank you so much!
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So good and calming. Thanks, Kim!
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Love to walk with you on the beach despite the tears.
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I love the wonder of what will be found when walking a beach!
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The journey of a salty tear. One never knows.
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Thanks Melissa.
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Delightfully fresh, Kim!
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Thank you, Carol!
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