Epigram 6

I’m an old nautilus egg-case. I make a good toy,
or conversation-
piece, for Arsinoë, as I did
for Marianne,
who let me circulate. When there was wind
I rode that wind over the waves, as I still can,
and when that earnest deity
named Serenity
ruled the sea for a day, I did all the work of locomotion,
rowing with my many feet. That’s why
I’m sometimes called an Argonaut,
and why the name fits.

I make a very good toy, and it’s not
just because I shimmer under moonlight,
not just because I pretend to remove
grave cares,
persistent shame, scars, fears, regrets;
as Arsinoë knows, it’s generosity
that animates me. Each curve
and pocket in me can display
a gem, a stone, a petal, a lock of hair,
or some other token of friendship or love. I could
be kept in a drawer,
but learning to play
with me happily definitely,
eventually,
means learning to share.