Shell
Listen to Paula ...
I found you,
half-hidden,
on the beach.
Buried in sand
no wave could reach.
I turned you over,
inspected your twists.
Traced your spirals,
curled you up in my fist.
Inside: smooth and pale,
fragile and pearly
as a fingernail.
A vacant bauble –
a home no more.
My very own piece
of the ocean floor.
I found you,
empty.
But you spoke to me:
a rushing whooshing
song of the sea.
I found you,
abandoned on the sand.
I’ll keep you.
A shoreline treasure
in the palm of my hand.
half-hidden,
on the beach.
Buried in sand
no wave could reach.
I turned you over,
inspected your twists.
Traced your spirals,
curled you up in my fist.
Inside: smooth and pale,
fragile and pearly
as a fingernail.
A vacant bauble –
a home no more.
My very own piece
of the ocean floor.
I found you,
empty.
But you spoke to me:
a rushing whooshing
song of the sea.
I found you,
abandoned on the sand.
I’ll keep you.
A shoreline treasure
in the palm of my hand.
This poem is copyright (©) Paula Thompson 2026
About the Writer
Paula Thompson
Paula is a children’s writer and former newspaper journalist from Hampshire with an MA distinction in Writing for Children. She is a winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Undiscovered Voices competition and longlisted as one of London Library’s Emerging Writers 2024/25. Paula’s poetry and fiction for children has featured in various publications in the UK and overseas. She is very excited to be taking flight on The Dirigible Balloon!
