By Joseph Childress

Shells
On the sea shore
Share sounds from the ocean
She tells deep stories
Of unknown territories

From what lies beneath
Where no man has reached
To the land of the beach
In my hand, you teach
The shortcomings of speech

I learn lessons
On how to listen
Admiring the mussels
Of mollusks
Their tongue
I cant I see
Yet they scream "I'm free"