Open this book of poetry and you will begin an unforgettable journey into the magnificent treasures of the sea. Along the way, you will intimately explore more than 30 sea paintings by masters such as Manet and Dali. You will swim with dolphins and sail the seas with Christopher Columbus. Enjoy and bon voyage as your magical journey begins .

THINGS OF THE SEA BELONG TO THE SEA

The shell in my hand, no bigger than my fist,
Is closing down because it must exist.
Hinged like a drawbridge, its embattled gate
Guards the glow of its inner ornament-

The ghost of the oyster that activates the pearl-
The soul within, the world without the pale.
I run my fingers over its grooves and scars
Encrusted with lichen and barnacle and weed-

Medals won in combat, the outer war
It wages with the sea. I feel the tide
Surge around my ankles-on every side

Suction, pressure, a tugging intensity
Heightened by the grip of what I hold in my hand,
Surrender gently, and step back up on land.