bats at night photo (National Parks Service)‘Vesper’ and Other Poetry by Martin Briggs The Society July 14, 2025 Beauty, Poetry 18 Comments . Vesper At dewfall Pipistrella brings her silent flickering silhouette to haunt the after-glimmerings that linger on the garden yet. And quiet overcomes the sky; and shadow pacifies the night; and indigos intensify one lonely point of silver light. Deeper stillness amplifies the distant road, a far-off bark; and purer blackness magnifies the brilliance of one frozen spark. Above a darkened hemisphere where tired hearts lie whose day is done, a single star rides cold and clear: Vesper’s vigil has begun. . . Heard in a Shell At wandering’s end, we outcasts of the wild explode in spray where rock and water meet, or spend ourselves in whispers at your feet. Yet we have rocked the cradle of the world: we surged across tempestuous hemispheres and latitudes of cold pelagic rage, upheaving oceans on our pilgrimage to rendezvous with you, this moment, here. For you alone our voices from the deep unite in one becalming lullaby, and bring beneath a grey Atlantic sky the promise of a dreamless tide of sleep. Hear us; let our each expiring rush heal your sadness; close your eyes, and hush. . . Martin Briggs lives in Suffolk, England. He only began writing in earnest after retiring from a career in public administration, since when he has been published in various publications on both sides of the Atlantic. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. ***Read Our Comments Policy Here*** 18 Responses Roy Eugene Peterson July 14, 2025 Martin, I can envision the whimsical sights and sounds of nature in these two beautifully imaged poems that purred so smoothly to my inner being like from a seashell held to the ear. The are as enchanting as they are soothing. Reply Martin Briggs July 14, 2025 Thank you Roy. Reply Margaret Brinton July 14, 2025 I feel a settled calmness in these lovely works. Reply Martin Briggs July 14, 2025 Thank you Margaret. Success! Reply Joseph S. Salemi July 14, 2025 Both poems are beautiful confections of language. “Vesper” is mostly natural description, but with a strong suggestion of quiet melancholy. The second line in the fourth quatrain requires one to read “tired” as a monosyllable, or a disyllable with an internal quick elision. Or perhaps the poet deliberately intends a metrical alteration in that line to emphasize that it is the only direct mention in the poem of human beings. “Heard in a Shell” is more daring — we hear the speech of an empty seashell, but the shell speaks in the plural, as if it were the spokesman for all such shells. The choice of intense words (explode, rocked, surged, tempestuous, rage, upheaving) tell of the sea and its fierce movement, and this is what the silent interlocutor hears when he puts the shell to his ear. Despite its clamor, it brings peace and sleep. I like “Heard in a Shell” because it creates a poetic conceit out of a common belief (i.e. that you can hear the roar of the ocean if you hold a seashell to your ear). As a child I loved this fanciful idea, and believed it devoutly. In this poem the writer has re-imagined the notion in the shape of a talking shell that speaks for all shells, and that uses its oceanic noise as a way to calm and console a human being. And in doing so the shell speaks authoritatively, and almost imperatively, as if it represented a power beyond itself. Reply Martin Briggs July 15, 2025 Thank you, Joseph, for these perceptive comments. Reply Paul A. Freeman July 15, 2025 There are times of the year where I live that the evening sky is filled with bats. You’re poem vividly brings this to life. Adding in ‘Vesper’, ‘the Evening Star’, brings focus to the poem. ‘Heard in a Shell’ I found epic in its breadth of description and topics – and I learned a fabulous new word, ‘pelagic’! Thanks for the reads, Martin. Reply Martin Briggs July 15, 2025 Thanks Paul. Kind regards, Martin Reply M.D. Skeen July 15, 2025 The pairing of these two poems is inspired. Here we have two poems about the outer reaches of our world: the mirrored profundity of the sky above and the sea below. Both are inhabited by unnerving creatures: the bat and the mollusk. One is characterized by still silence, while the other, chaotic roar. Thank you for providing such a beautiful contrast to consider. Reply Martin Briggs July 15, 2025 Thank you for your sensitive response, MD. Much appreciated. Reply Cynthia L Erlandson July 15, 2025 You are a marvelous word-painter, Martin; and you make out of these words not only beautiful imagery (as in, “shadows pacify the night, and indigos intensify one lonely point of silver light”; “where rock and water meet”); but also deep music (“explode in spray”; “spend ourselves in whispers at your feet”; “our voices from the deep unite in one becalming lullaby”.) Reply Martin Briggs July 16, 2025 Thank you Cynthia. Reply Marguerite July 15, 2025 Both of these are beautiful gifts. Thank you. Reply Martin Briggs July 16, 2025 Thank you Marguerite. Reply Patricia Rogers Crozier July 18, 2025 Both of these poems are so lovely! Reply Martin Briggs July 18, 2025 Thank you Patricia. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant July 21, 2025 Martin, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these two exquisite pieces. You paint scenes in wondrous words that have lifted me from the mundane captured my imagination. Thank you! Reply Martin Briggs July 23, 2025 Thank you for reading them, Susan, and for your feedback. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ
Roy Eugene Peterson July 14, 2025 Martin, I can envision the whimsical sights and sounds of nature in these two beautifully imaged poems that purred so smoothly to my inner being like from a seashell held to the ear. The are as enchanting as they are soothing. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi July 14, 2025 Both poems are beautiful confections of language. “Vesper” is mostly natural description, but with a strong suggestion of quiet melancholy. The second line in the fourth quatrain requires one to read “tired” as a monosyllable, or a disyllable with an internal quick elision. Or perhaps the poet deliberately intends a metrical alteration in that line to emphasize that it is the only direct mention in the poem of human beings. “Heard in a Shell” is more daring — we hear the speech of an empty seashell, but the shell speaks in the plural, as if it were the spokesman for all such shells. The choice of intense words (explode, rocked, surged, tempestuous, rage, upheaving) tell of the sea and its fierce movement, and this is what the silent interlocutor hears when he puts the shell to his ear. Despite its clamor, it brings peace and sleep. I like “Heard in a Shell” because it creates a poetic conceit out of a common belief (i.e. that you can hear the roar of the ocean if you hold a seashell to your ear). As a child I loved this fanciful idea, and believed it devoutly. In this poem the writer has re-imagined the notion in the shape of a talking shell that speaks for all shells, and that uses its oceanic noise as a way to calm and console a human being. And in doing so the shell speaks authoritatively, and almost imperatively, as if it represented a power beyond itself. Reply
Paul A. Freeman July 15, 2025 There are times of the year where I live that the evening sky is filled with bats. You’re poem vividly brings this to life. Adding in ‘Vesper’, ‘the Evening Star’, brings focus to the poem. ‘Heard in a Shell’ I found epic in its breadth of description and topics – and I learned a fabulous new word, ‘pelagic’! Thanks for the reads, Martin. Reply
M.D. Skeen July 15, 2025 The pairing of these two poems is inspired. Here we have two poems about the outer reaches of our world: the mirrored profundity of the sky above and the sea below. Both are inhabited by unnerving creatures: the bat and the mollusk. One is characterized by still silence, while the other, chaotic roar. Thank you for providing such a beautiful contrast to consider. Reply
Cynthia L Erlandson July 15, 2025 You are a marvelous word-painter, Martin; and you make out of these words not only beautiful imagery (as in, “shadows pacify the night, and indigos intensify one lonely point of silver light”; “where rock and water meet”); but also deep music (“explode in spray”; “spend ourselves in whispers at your feet”; “our voices from the deep unite in one becalming lullaby”.) Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant July 21, 2025 Martin, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these two exquisite pieces. You paint scenes in wondrous words that have lifted me from the mundane captured my imagination. Thank you! Reply