1. Seagrass
Strange to think
of a subtidal
meadow where
waves gather
and pass
like clouds across
a wrinkling sky.
I tease seeds out
of the eelgrass.
Long green ribbons
where creatures hide.
Under my tweezers
each seed is a joy,
each worm, a surprise.
2. Oysters
I search my plot of beach for oyster shells
and count horse, saddle, native, pacific.
They click together in my hands each
the shape of my palm and singing
a different note, wood chime, rain fall,
castanet, when I drop them to the sand.
The back of each shell ridged like a wave
the colour of heather or pearl or a fife sky.
And I watch as two more girls comb the sand,
held in their own band of light, counting
out the day in shells and stones, leaving
no small thing unnamed or unturned.
These poems were commissioned by Paperboats for a workshop titled There is a Tide at the Push the Boat Out Poetry Festival, 2024.
Roshni Gallagher
Roshni is an award-winning poet and writer. Her debut collection is forthcoming with Bloodaxe Books in 2026.
Her pamphlet Bird Cherry was published in 2023 by Verve Poetry Press.
In her work, she explores themes of memory, silence, and the natural world.