Aquamarine

Aquamarine.
A rock, a gem-stone, Beryl,
sometimes heated or irradiated
to draw out the truest blue that most folks want;
But I love the natural aquamarine,
my birthstone, the color of the flagstone
footpath to my childhood home,
a 1957 penny set between the stones by my father;
snug, rooted, home. cool, bluegreen and grey
like oceansky in Maine, where I once lived.
The color of my baby son’s eyes,
his soul as old as the ocean;
of the old glass bottles I dig up
from the still- rocky earth of Massachusetts, where I live now.
Vanilla Extract, Dr. Fletcher’s Elixir.

The digging is good.
I dig for the color of quietude, of acceptance if not belief,
of trust if not faith,
of being content with certain long-held notions;
for the color of the mystery in my grown son’s eyes,
and of my most favorite sea-glass:
A color so hard to find, it takes
the perfect blend of time, persistent patience,
long stretches of abiding love,
the steadfastness of salt,
and the ever-constant sea.