Upon the Briny Sea
The lapping against the bow
is like a watery metronome, slapping,
resounding as time dictates the swell,
and gulls up high attest the day aloft,
motionless, caught in the updraft,
over a vast and clear blue stream,
as my rod is drawn down by depth,
me, awaiting a bated theft,
and my hope for repast.
So peaceful the movement,
the slow and gliding undulations,
I a cork on an eternal sea,
those fish below just watching me,
a shadow in their light-flickering sky,
as time whittles away,
like a blade upon a whalebone
in delicate display, a seaman’s pastime
when time is all there is to play.
The sway is mesmerising,
the rise and fall a reminder
of the innate power of this giant in repose,
so calm in rest, so violent in distress,
when weather contests the land,
and swells so huge swallow whole a craft as mine,
bobbing like a twig upon the briny sea,
so easily breath forsaken,
when the mood is taken.
Yet it is so calming at rest,
its breath like my very own heartbeat,
steady and consistent, alert and resistant to fear,
just immersed in the movement of life
the endless ebb and flow,
as we upon its skin try to grasp what lays within
and know its secrets,
the sea and all its wonders
for us to glean and hold for its endless beauty.
No fish today, but not important,
its being upon this watery field
that yields a healing purpose,
a touch of grace and the caress of winds
that give so much to a wayward seaman,
alive where he’s meant to be,
breathing air so sweet it can never be replaced
by any other place,
sitting upon a briny sea, for me.
Tony DeLorger © 2018
videos on YouTube and book sales on website thoughtsforabeautifulmind.com, Amazon and digitalprintaustralia.com.au/bookstore
- Brutal Night - March 30, 2021
- Like a Breeze Recalls - March 27, 2021
- Torrents - September 5, 2020
Oh! how I love this verse, Tony. The imagery, the mood, and phrases are so alive it speaks to me. Great work, dear poet.
So pleased you enjoyed it Phyllis, and the sea has always had a fascination to me, an endless moving life of its own. Take care dear friend.
Ah to fish, whether on a briny sea or clear blue softly rippled lake. Holding the line with one finger, tempting the swimmers below, first a nibble then a chomp, we tug, pull and wind up the line attached to our steadfast rod. Sometimes were lucky, other times not so, the swimmer has stolen our bait and away it dashed to live again. I felt the briny sea here Tony, the solitude of that fisherman and all the patience needed to await his catch. Beautifully penned my friend, your imagery as always was spot on. Cheers.
Thanks Vincent, it is that connection with the sea, that instinct to survive that plays out like a microcosm of life. Glad you enjoyed the imagery my friend. Your kind words always appreciated. Take care