O’Keeffe’s Shell, by Susan Bennett

Red Hill and White Shell, by Georgia O'Keeffe (USA) c. 1938

O’Keeffe’s Shell
 
Abandoned white shell, life's remnant
Cast upon the blood red mountains
Reflects the yellow lemon sky
Hidden under pearl grey shadows

Ancient sea floor reveals treasures
Abandoned white shell, life's remnant
Spiral tunnel invites descent
Punctuated by pink nipple

The desert remembers the sea
Cradles curling moon waves within
Abandoned white shell, life's remnant
Brings blood red flow down the mountain

Dry earth under the egg yolk sky
Bursting vermillion streaks delight
The parched heart of the observer
Abandoned white shell, life's remnant.     

Susan Bennett

Susan Bennett is a ritualist and emerging poet. She has been leading women’s spirit circles in Northern Virginia for fifteen years.  Her poem “In the Center Ring” will be published in Gargoyle Magazine, Spring 2021. She is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego.