Walking along the beach,

I found a shell.

an ordinary shell

it is perfectly formed

six rows of ridges

ruffles

completely round

except for where it joined

its twin when still whole

the shell feels surprisingly cool

and light

as if it’s soul’s mate

disappeared long ago

as I stare out at the Pacific Ocean

I wonder where this clam

might have lived

and how it got to this spot

on this very day

in time for me to pick it up

Years ago, my family moved

to California

a long journey

I felt the hollowness

of forced abandonment

like the clam

I was not in charge of my destiny

that power lay in my parents’ hands

I was an ordinary person

no great beauty

smart, but lacking common sense

or so I had been told

my parents picked the city

the house, even the school

all I did was move in

confined by their overarching rules

until I went to college

for years I drifted through life

swept by the tides

working at one job, then another

until marriage grounded me

now I stand with feet in the damp sand

rejoicing in the gifts given me,

such as simple clam shell

held in the hand