Rebecca Ressl is a nonprofit grant writer, poet, and prose writer, amongst other things. Her work can be found or is forthcoming in Sky Island Journal, Masque & Spectacle, Flash Fiction Magazine, and Lily Poetry Review. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her partner, child, rambunctious dog, very old cat, and piles of books.
The Clamshells
On beach walks, Mother walks around empty shells. Once the snails and mussels and crabs
leave, the shells become relics, resilient and full of worshipful piety. Scabbed over with kelp
filaments and fish eggs, the clamshells are books, opening and closing, disappearing in the high
tide. When her daughter proudly brings home a handful of clamshells from the day’s
explorations, Mother cries, you have stolen the goddesses’ earrings!
The Field Guide Poetry Magazine 