How insignificant each grain of sand
I tromp upon while scavenging the shore.
How immaterial they are, how bland,
to one who scans the beach in search for more.
No chambered nautilus would stoop so low
to share its stage with one this nondescript.
I pause to wonder why in nature's show
this minor part was cast instead of skipped.
But as I start to kick the sand aside,
more grains fall in to fill the vacant spot,
reminding all that when they're side by side,
they are the stage without which there's no plot.
Exotic shells may be what catch the eye,
but so much more's in what we all pass by.
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Author Notes
Many thanks to Miranda Signore for sharing this photo of my inquisitive grandson Sawyer.
The chambered nautilus is a regal, gorgeous shell that has been celebrated in poetry, painting, sculpture and music for centuries. Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote a particularly famous poem praising its beauty.
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