Some believe that the well-known tongue twister was written about the fossil hunter Mary Anning.

Say it quickly. Wrap your tongue
around that line; the snaking twist
of S, the soothing Sh.

Now picture the girl.
I gather the coast; hidden art waits
for my fingers to unfold rocks.

I line my finds out on a table,
little fancies I’ve cleaned
to show the shape of all our pasts.

Daytrip ladies browse,
hand easy pennies over for trinkets
that feed me, feed my brother.

Limestone presses messages
on the seashore. Falling tides wash
whispers of survival.

Claire Walker’s poetry has been published in magazines, anthologies and websites including The Interpreter’s House, Ink Sweat and Tears, Prole, and And Other Poems. Her first pamphlet, The Girl Who Grew Into a Crocodile, is published by V. Press. Her website is https://clairewalkerpoetry.com