Tuesday, February 15, 2011

From Magpie Tales #53


Making Sea Salt



I watch you work
in the blistering sun,
steam from the salt pans
nudging tendrils of escaped hair
into curls. Your wet skirt clings to
the curve of your thigh;
I taste salt at the nape of your neck
where your hand has carelessly brushed.



 *Note: In ancient times, salt girls held the job of boiling seawater down for the salt. Some cursory research showed that sea salt was obtained by diluting the brine of the sea by evaporation, largely accomplished by the sun. The concentrated slurry of salt, sand, and mud was scraped up and washed clean with seawater to settle the impurities. The brine was poured into shallow pans lightly baked from local clay and set over a peat fire for the final evaporation. The dried salt was then scraped out and sold. 

20 comments:

Elaine said...

Beautiful images!

Deborah said...

I just LOVED this!

Brian Miller said...

my the sun is hot...or maybe its just your verse...smiles.

jabblog said...

Beautiful images of such a hard, hard life.

Louise said...

Very moving, evocative imagery.

Helen said...

Love how you took the salt shaker and created something sensual! (and educational too.)

Helena said...

Now that makes a very nice vision....and a snippet of education, too!

Lyn said...

Sensuous salt..very imaginative, and thanks for the instructions! Enjoyed this a "lot"!

Pat - Arkansas said...

What lovely, exotic images you've created here -- and from something as 'common' as salt.

Tumblewords: said...

Salt is full of depth and history. Your words are a delight to read!

Leslie said...

I love the way you gave us such a vivid story to illustrate that history lesson! I wish my history teachers had done that when I was in school! Wonderful imagery...

steven said...

pauline i really love the writing here - the poem and the unpacking that makes it come to life in a totally different way. wow. steven

rel said...

Some how Pauline, I'm transported to the south of France; to Marseilles, a salt girl in my left hand and her fishmonger sister holding my right.
rel

Ruth said...

Lovely and sensual!

Chrissy said...

wonderfully sensual

Tess Kincaid said...

Sensuous and earthy. Delicious!

Pauline said...

Thanks, all. It's fun to look at something familiar in an unfamiliar way.

herhimnbryn said...

Hard work. Beautiful visualisation.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

vivid and powerful imagery.
enjoyed the flow.

Martin said...

I was glad to be reading this in the shade. Very nice.

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