I Saw A Seashell On The Seashore

Last week I made a short trip to Karachi , the business capital of Pakistan. I visited quite some places from Urban Centre to shores of the Arabian Sea. I took my kids to Sea View at the Clifton beach, as they were all charged up and so very excited. Sea view is usually crowded and full of people (as being the most visited beach in the city) yet such a peaceful place to be at. Even with all the hustle and bustle and the hubbub of people especially if you happen to be there on a weekend, there is a sense of calm, the vastness of the sea, the fair sky above it all eases your mind in the moment. It was truly a magical experience to be there at this time of the year. At the beach, you will be mesmerized by the thousands if not millions of sea shells on the wet sand, every size, so many colors, from white to cream to off white, light beige, dark brown to green, from abalone shells and gastropod shells to clam shells with beautiful stripes in many different sizes. It is a shell collector's or a conchologist's dream being there and also for those who like making ornaments or other decorative items. Such lovely shells, pure as a pearl, lying so close to my feet. So unique in its own way, but a work divine, a work of perfection, God's gift to us on this planet. One of the many things that add to the beauty of the sea, making it an unforgettable experience.

I couldn’t resist making my own sea shell collection. My daughter held a sea shell close to her ear, listening to the sounds that the seashell hid inside , faint but so serene. And as Fannie Isabelle Sherrick says it best in the poem;

A Shell

Oh, take this shell, this pretty thing

With tinted waves of pearly red;

Hold close your ear and hear it sing,

Then tell me what its voice hath said.

A song of surges deep and strong,

A song of summer sweet and long,

A sound of storm and wind and rain,

A sound of joy–a glad refrain.

O plaything of the idle sea,

Whence come these changing tints of thine?

Have sunset clouds looked down on thee

And stained thee with their hues divine?

Oh, tell the secrets thou must know

Of clouds above and waves below;

Oh, whisper of the bending sky

And ocean caves where jewels lie.

Salt water heals everything:

if you stand in one place to look across the shore line you will witness thousands of seashells, waves washing over them from time to time, as the small waves come and go the sea shells move with the water, making a beautiful crackling sound colliding with each other. As you walk on the beach a few crack under your feet. Maybe monsoon being the reason for so many seashells, locals say this is the biggest number they have seen in years, regardless it’s a treat to be there. It’s also a good way to relieve stress as beach therapy has dozens of benefits. Other than the beach itself there are a variety of restaurants and eateries offering exquisite food with the experience of the sea breeze blowing across your face and the susurration of waves offering mental tranquility. Whenever I am there, i am amazed at how much this city of my birth place has to offer. Karachi is beautiful in its own ways; so vibrant, so full of life, the city of lights.