Shadowy Dreams – Lighthouse Keeper and His Ghost Ships
Shadowy Dreams …
Shadowy dreams keep me company
Alone in my house looking o’er the sea,
Like very old friends it seems,
All the ladies in shadowy dreams.
Ghosts of yesteryears, phantoms ye be,
Silently drifting upon dark sea.
Sailing in the arms of time long past,
Billowing sails behind your mast.
Lost my beloved, young man was I,
And came here alone to dream and die,
To hold her memory, tho she be gone.
Many years now I am still alone.
Others I found to guide to and fro,
Yet many years she still haunts me so.
Every night I watch with dread,
My lantern bright, my heart dead.
~
Mary Celeste, you beautiful siren,
Do you not hear their voices crying?
Souls of ten, family and seamen,
Lost to nowhere still you keep them.
Somewhere within another realm,
Where you keep them from their helm.
Mystery yours for your own pleasure,
And often tempt me with your treasure.
Sail quickly on by, watch my light,
To guide you through the darkest night.
Anchor ye not upon this shore,
My lost beloved I love evermore.
~
Lady Lovibond, within your green glow,
Struck so sudden with jealous blow.
A bride so in love with her groom
Taken by rage to meet their doom.
Forever celebrate your wedding day,
Upon the seas in ghostly sway.
The Goodwin Sands eternal your home.
Ne’er more in this life you roam.
Be at peace, love groom and bride,
Cradle them gently o’er the tide.
Haunt me not ye wedding ship,
Mind your meters , follow your slip.
~
Flying Dutchman, mighty yet shy,
Hiding in clouds in darkened sky,
Man they call, but lady ye be,
Sailing still upon endless sea.
Omen of death they say you are,
Flying above so near the star.
Of what manner can this be,
So far above the raging sea?
Be it not a specter, a ghost.
Memories of many sailors lost.
Hear them call cross the sea,
Many a man, hear their plea.
Lady who proudly set sail,
Your last voyage into a gale.
Come you back from raging sea,
Omen of death for only me?
~
Caleuche, beautiful lady of glowing white,
Ever mindful of me and my light,
Carrying all souls who died at sea.
Will you some day, too, carry me?
Gently ride the waves and party on,
For one day you will take me anon,
Not knowing when, if it be soon,
Nor long from now by light of moon.
You wait so patiently for my time.
Let it be with my beloved bride,
She waits, too, for me , I know true.
Or am I already aboard with you?
~
Shadowy dreams keep me company,
Alone in my house looking o’er the sea.
Like very old friends it seems,
All the ladies in shadowy dreams.
~ ~ ~
© 2016 Phyllis Doyle Burns
Dedicated to John Hansen
~ ~ ~ ~
I have always liked to write.It is important to me that writing comes from my heart and soul. When writing poetry, if I do not feel a spiritual connection to what I am writing on, I will discard it and go on to something I can connect with on a spiritual level. I live in the moment, I write from the past or beyond the veil. When writing fiction I go with whatever inspires me at the moment - it could be funny, sorrowful, romantic or sometimes done with the use of colloquial language from mountain folk or other cultural regions.
I began writing content online in 2007, starting with BellaOnline - A Voice For Women, where I was the Native American Editor, Folklore & Mythology Editor, and the Appalachian Editor. I also wrote articles forThe Examiner, Daily Two Cents, and Yahoo. I am currently an author on HubPages.
Most of what I write takes a lot of research and I love it. Even if it is a fictional story, I will research for accuracy in whatever it takes to make my characters, their era, their location, etc. become realistic to the reader.
I hope you enjoy my works. Thank you for visiting.
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This is wonderful. Is it a sonnet? It has the delicious taste of the great poetry of the past.
Hi Lori. No, it is not a sonnet. It is a rhyme. So glad you enjoyed it. It is my favorite poem of all I have written. Thanks for reading and commenting. I so appreciate it.
Lovely work Phyllis, there’s something about the tales and ghosts of the sea that connect with me profoundly. This life I’m actually scared of the deep sea, and wouldn’t like a long voyage anywhere. But there is a connection, probably a past life, where I connect with the feelings that you have so emotively captured in this work. A wonderful and powerful work Phyllis. Kudos.
Thank you, Tony, for that great comment and kind praise. I wrote this poem a few years ago. It keeps coming back just like the ghost ships it connects to. It has been on four sites now. John has mentioned it a few times, so I brought it here. As much as I love the sea and like to be near it, I have a great fear of it, too. It stems from a past life when my family and I went down with the ship in a raging sea off England. I am so glad you relate to this poem. Take care.
Thank you for this wonderful dedication, Phyllis. I absolutely love this well-written poem. Was it one you originally published on HubPages? I am always drawn to poems about the sea and this didn’t disappoint. I loved the language you used which fit perfectly. Great job.
You are most welcome, John. Yes, it originally was published on HubPages. I knew you loved it then and it is great to know you still do. The language – yes, that comes natural to me when writing a piece like this if I put myself into the character. Thank you, John for the very nice praise. I really appreciate it.
Phyllis, sometimes I feel that the popularity of free verse has affected those of us who practice form and lyricism. But some of us have touched the real beauty behind structures from the past. Phyllis this is a beautifully wrought poem that displays your ability to pay attention to the smallest of details. Jamie
Thank you very much, Jamie. I am honored to receive such praise. So glad you like this poem. It took a lot of research to get the names of ships and their stories then to squeeze them into a poem. Thanks again Jamie.
Hi there Phyllis, my name is Ravi from India I liked your poem so much that I have made a tattoo on my body. I am so fascinated about sea and light houses feels like I have a connection with Then in the past, as far as I know, since I was 5 yrs old I always dreamt of a unrest sea, light house and a big wooden ship now I’m 33 and even today I have the same dream don’t know why I’m getting this kind of a dream….anyways you keep up the good work and God bless you. Once again a very nice poem.
Thank you very much, Ravi. It is nice to meet you. I hope you come back often and read more from our authors. We all love feedback and meeting new readers. Take care.
Thanks once again for such lovely poem Phyllis, I definitely will visit this website again and again for more poems : but I’m just a BIG fan of yours….take care, and God bless.
You are welcome, Ravi. That is a nice compliment to get that tattoo because of my poem. Is the tattoo a picture of the lighthouse and sea?
Yes it is of a lighthouse, ship and ofcourse a Beautiful lines from your poem. I was so addicted to it that I made a tattoo of it for myself, a BIG THANKS to you, all credit go’s to you and your beautiful poem, cheers 🙂
Is the tattoo on a place where it is okay to send me a picture of it, Ravi? I would love to see it if it’s okay.
Yes, Sure, I will but where should I send it. I can email it to you if you want.
Thanks, ravi. You can email it to creativeexiles@gmail.com
Cool I will send some of the snaps at this email address.