Hi everyone,
Here’s a poem that began in my head one day while we were walking a beach on the Oregon coast. The second and third pictures are provided by my son Jeff Harrison.
One Day at the Beach
By David L. Harrison
You should have seen it,
rising up,
as though from some long-buried
subterranean harbor,
to breach the sandy surface!
A vast, barnacle-coated vessel
stonily at anchor,
recognizable only to me,
the master of decoding disguises.
Where Jolly Roger might once have grinned,
I heard wind sighing across the sea,
or ghosts singing salty chanteys,
beckoning me,
whispering,
“Join the brotherhood.
We’re away on the darkling tide.”
Shanghaied by desire,
I scaled the sloop’s rocky hull
and took my seat in the captain’s chair.
“I’m ready,” I whispered
to the ghosts in the wind,
and then I yelled again,
”I’m ready!”
Aye, aye, captain.
Hi, Veda, and thanks for coming aboard.
Nice! As someone who loves spending time along the coast, I could instantly identify!
Hi, Matt. It was a glorious day to walk or sail.
wonderful poem, enhanced with the photos. Let’s all “be ready!”
Good morning, Jane. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
A’hoy Capt’n David. Thanks for the splendid ride on your ship.
Buffy, there’s always room for one more!
David, I admire how you evoke the pirate past without falling into pastiche. The whole poem is a kind of double invitation from the speaker — first to “you” to come forward and watch, finally to the ghosts to take the “I” away with them. Or at least that’s how I read it. Nicely done.
Steven Withrow
Thank you, Steven. You read the poem as I intended. Glad it worked!
Hi everyone, I’m responding on my phone. Yesterday a construction crew cut my phone line, leaving me without Internet. Maybe today I’ll get it back.
Thoroughly delightful, David!
Hi Dona,
I’m so glad you like the poem. That’s some rock!
David