Waves of nausea – roiling from head to stomach, a cold rag pressed to a forehead, a sick day, a TV tray, 7-Up, saltines
Waving a flag – team colors (Go, team, go!); a white flag (Let it go.)
Ocean waves – gentle one moment, rolling, tumbling, a yellow flag on the beach (Use caution, but come on in.); rough the next…crashing, cresting, a red flag flies (Dangerous rip currents likely – stay on the sand!)
A heat wave – bearing down, draping skin in a thin
layer of perspiration, tiny beads of sweat, suffocating heat pressing on all sides, breathless, breezeless
Wavy hair – springing from the claw clip, snarling in the wind, defying smooth shampoos, bamboozling blowouts, escaping hair bands
Sound waves – a husband’s voice picked out syllable by syllable, word by word, from a crowd of strangers’ voices; a child’s laugh, high and sweet; a snippet of a favorite song played from the open windows of a passing car
Learning to wave – a little granddaughter curling her chubby fingers toward her own face, waving hello, waving good-bye
Waves on waves on waves
16 responses to “Waves”
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All these different kinds of waves. I like how you begin with an unpleasant wave and end with one that makes you smile
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That little backward wave really does make me smile; though now that she’s approaching her first birthday, she’s learned to turn it around and wave forward.
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Lori, I love how there are slices of your sweet summer included in all these waves. It is written with experience, though I hope it’s not all recent (like the waves of nausea, I mean!) A fascinating format that is making me want to explore multiple meaning words.
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Thanks, Denise! I haven’t been nauseated since that nasty gallbladder was removed in March!
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Lori,
I love how much ground you cover in your poem. I also like how you move from the universal to the specific.
“Sound waves – a husband’s voice picked out syllable by syllable, word by word, from a crowd of strangers’ voices; a child’s laugh, high and sweet; a snippet of a favorite song played from the open windows of a passing car
“Learning to wave – a little granddaughter curling her chubby fingers toward her own face, waving hello, waving good-bye
“Waves on waves on waves”
Delightful!
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Thanks, Sharon! I knew I wanted to write about waves since I’m back at the beach for the first time in over a year. We weren’t able to take our usual fall and spring break trips to the ocean last year because it was my husband’s last year before retirement. It was better for us to save all those vacation days! He retired June 30th, though, so we are back in our favorite place with the waves breaking over our toes.
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I love this play on words Beautiful!
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Thank you! Sending a virtual wave of appreciation!
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Such a powerful post about multiple meanings! This would be fun to use as a model text in schools!
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Thanks! I enjoyed thinking about many different waves as I watched the ocean waves from the cozy chair on the balcony. I love vacation!
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What everyone else says, as waves of praise roll in, I’ll add mine. (I am particularly drawn to the variety of “sound waves” you note. We forget sometimes how sound travels, the laugh, the song caught on a breeze.)
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Thank you, Trish! We’re vacationing at our favorite beach; so waves were on my mind. My husband and I have been in some big crowds lately; and I’m always happy to share a quiet conversation amid all the noises clamoring for our attention.
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I also love your exploration of waves! The ones that particularly delighted me were picking out your husband’s voice from a crowd, and the chubby baby fingers learning to wave (perfect ending)
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Thank you! I appreciate your comments. My husband just retired (June 30th). As an elementary principal with more than 30 years of daily announcements behind him, he has a clear, distinctive voice that definitely carries when necessary. Between his principal voice and my teacher voice, we seldom get lost in a crowd.
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Lori,
This didn’t go the way I expected. I only had ocean waves on my mind, and I received my first postcard poem for the poetry postcard project today, and it was all about waves. Of course, Not Waving, but Drowning popped into my head. Anyway, very clever, eclectic post. Feel better!-
Thanks, Glenda! My waves of nausea were back in March with those gallbladder attacks. I’m all good now, enjoying baby waves and beach waves.
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