Finding Wonders by Jeannine Atkins

Author:Jeannine Atkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

At Last

Mary uncovers the sea dragon. She chisels away

soft stone to bring out the markings of a backbone,

ribs, and what might be flippers or long feet.

She becomes as familiar with the creature as her own body.

No, more. Her tenderness toward the stone is long,

while at home she spends just seconds pulling a comb

through her hair, scrubbing grime from her fingernails,

or tucking her feet into stockings.

She pries out a past that presses up like a wave

that must rise as well as fall. The forces

that left the impressions still seem present.

But will the stone ever budge? Is she wasting her time?

Rock dust fills the small lines on her fingertips.

She misses her father’s ponderings, Sarah Jane’s stories,

and Joseph. She hears the chime of the bell

by the bathing machine down the shore,

rung when ladies step in the sea, warning

men to keep a distance for modesty’s sake.

She’s tired. She lies down on the sea dragon,

feeling the bones-turned-to-stone press into her back.

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