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A Grain of Sand

A grain of sand got lodged into
__A little seagull’s eye.
He spluttered with indignant rage,
__“Now I can’t even fly!”
And so his eye grew worse and worse,
__The seagull shrieked and whined.
Until one day the poor old bird
__Eventually turned blind!

A grain of sand got lodged into,
__An oyster’s silver shell.
Amused, he wondered what would come,
__For only time would tell.
The oyster waited patiently,
__He watched his fate unfurl.
Until at last that grain of sand
__Transformed into a pearl.

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Patience

I had a bag of poppy seeds
__I’d always longed to share.
Along the road of life I went
__And sowed them everywhere.

I didn’t know what would become
__Of seedlings by the track,
But blossoms growing from the earth
__Cannot be taken back.

I had a heart of kindness that
__I’ve always longed to share.
Along the road of life I went
__Treating people with care.

Some people laughed right in my face,
__And yet I didn’t mind.
What comes around will go around;
__Who knows what one will find?

The road was long and desolate,
__But thus along I went.
I planted seeds and kindness till
__My energy was spent.

And when at last I could no more,
__My feet had reached the end,
Yet who did I see running here?
__Once stranger, now a friend.

Time had changed my poppy seeds
__To flowers by the track.
Thus kindness will forever be
__Repaid in friendship back.

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Shindy Cai resides in upstate New York and works as a professional classical dancer for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

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12 Responses

  1. Gigi Ryan

    Dear Shindy,

    I did not see that lovely contrast coming in your first poem. What a great story!

    I appreciate the theme of the second poem, which shows how friendship takes time, risk, and patience. Those who call you friend are no doubt blessed given your understanding of the needs of friendship.
    Gigi

    Reply
  2. Joseph S. Salemi

    These are clear and delightful little poems, and I can see them as inclusions in a small book of verse for children.

    “A Grain of Sand” presents a small and didactic anecdote about how to deal with difficulties. It is perfectly composed.

    In “Patience” I would suggest only one minor change to fix a metrical error. In the third quatrain, “Treating people with care” does not scan properly. I would suggest rewriting it as:

    “Treating folks with care.”

    Reply
    • Shindy Cai

      Thanks for catching that, I didn’t realize my mistake. I’ll make a note of it 🙂

      Reply
  3. Margaret Coats

    As an animal fable about maturity, “A Grain of Sand” is suitable for both children and adults. It does tell how to deal with one little annoyance, but also with one that may be long lasting. Both outcomes (blindness and pearl) occur over extended time due to habitual behavior of the seagull and the oyster.

    “Patience” is a companion piece directly addressing a person. It’s interesting because the message is not simply “be kind and reap rewards,” but “start now, even with very small gestures that may seem silly to others.”

    Reply
  4. Julian D. Woodruff

    Thank you, Ms. Cai. Poetry for children is scarce on this site. Your clear and elegant poems are a welcome addition.

    Reply
    • Shindy Cai

      Thank you, I’ve always liked simple poems that help strong messages. I first read that pearls started off as grains of sand as a fun fact. That intrigued me, and the poem eventually wrote itself.

      Reply
  5. Roy Eugene Peterson

    These are two precious gems that resonate with lessons for life and sparkle with vitality.

    Reply
  6. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    These two beautifully conceived poems have lifted my spirits today. I love the lesson in personal growth and meaning. I believe that every hardship comes with a reason and a reward… if only one is inclined to endure and to look beyond the trial at hand. Planting seeds of kindness is never a thankless task. Shindy, thank you for two shining poetic gems.

    Reply
  7. Paul A. Freeman

    A Grain of Sand is the kind of poem I would have loved to have read at school, a poem that is so much more than its constitute parts when you delve below the surface. The contrast between the metaphorical and the literal is a life lesson.

    Patience is a well told, philosophical lesson, very timely in this age where instant gratification is the order of the day.

    Thanks for the reads, Shindy.

    Reply
    • Shindy Cai

      Thank you! Sometimes when I read a quote or something inspirational I love the lesson and want to capture it in some way. If a story or image forms in my head then I have a poem! If not I scribble it down for later and wait for it’s time to come… 🙂

      Reply
  8. Shamik Banerjee

    In my opinion, “A Grain of Sand,” cleverly alludes to the age-old adage “Life is what you make of it.” Any situation, however unpleasant or undesired, is still at our disposal, and our present discretion towards it is a dominant determinant of our future. Very cleverly demonstrated, and such pieces witnessing the marriage of odd tetrameter and even trimeter lines are my favourite ones! “Patience” is also very well done. Thank you for sharing these, Shindy!

    Reply

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