Suzanne Delaney Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

The Ghosts Beg To Differ

At crushing depths 
Titanic rests 
Rusticles- like red ice 
hang from her corpse 
[the excrement of 
fathoms deep bacteria] 
And now technology
[ undreamed of when it was needed] 
peers at her 
[long submerged wreckage]
from slick sub-like vessels 
taking computer generated 
photo mosaics 
[for investigators to pore over.]

Once, mystifying questions 
are un-layered one by one 
from evidence locked 
within her tortured skeleton,
revealing
[ not the simple impact of an iceberg]
sealed her fate]
but rather, a 'series of happenings', 
[without remedy.]

Rivets with 'too much slag' 
gave way 
letting in Atlantic's weight 
Her belly full, 
she hugged her center keel 
[in futile efforts] 
to keep bow and stern connected.
As she sank, into eternity, 
chambered cells, 
[once meant to prevent 
the onslaught of the sea,] 
were swiftly breached 

Sea weight tore her 
great- ship's-soul asunder,  
and sinking to the sea's dark floor,
she took with her,
poor forsaken passengers 
[crying in disbelief ]
at the cruel and lying 'myth.'

See sawing down, 
the broken stern end 
speared, into fathoms deep mud, 
the  bow rails stayed intact 
[for all the ghosts 
to lean on ]
And with the solving of 
her final hours, 
it is unthinkable, 
that this rusticled specter 
[once so full of mystery] 
had been declared to be 
'unsinkable.' 

ALL YOURS (Jun 10)
Contest Judged:  6/9/2021 11:40:00 PM
Sponsored by: Brian Strand 
First Place

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Christuraj Alex June 10, 2021 at 12:51 AM A hint of human self-complacency too? Congratulations!

Jeremy Martin August 8, 2014 at 12:16 PM Rusticles--- I love that! It's so perfect and evokes the image of the the decaying ship so perfectly.

Len Gasun August 5, 2013 at 5:57 AM A stunning piece which really deserved its super win! CONGRATULATIONS my dear friend and sista Suz! And since somebody sent me a message, i'm passing it to you, Happy Friendship Day! Big sweet hugs! love lots, Leonora

Tim Ryerson August 5, 2013 at 2:42 AM I was sucked in from the very first line...'As she sank, into eternity'...WOW...What I find most sad about the Titanic is all those lives were lost because of foolish arrogance...Congrats my friend - Tim

Poet Destroyer A August 4, 2013 at 10:05 PM Suz, Congratulations, with your winning poem..... goodnight~ Linda

Milton Toran August 4, 2013 at 5:17 PM Technology in its own infancy, ignorance, wealth, power, haste, and that massive iceberg. All contributing factors to the demise of the RMS Titanic. A sad day in history. Well-written!...Milt

Skat A August 4, 2013 at 5:06 PM An awesome win SUz..... SKAT

Joseph May August 4, 2013 at 12:48 PM A billionaire is going to build an exact replica of this unsinkable ship .....well penned Suz.....congrats on your win

Andrea Dietrich August 2, 2013 at 7:48 AM wow, I LOVE this one!!! YOu are at top form with this free verse of yours,my friend. There is a small book for level three students at my school about these crazy "Happenings" that brought down this great ship and I was reminded of that reader as I read this. GREAT job with this descriptive writing. Suzanne Delaney August 4, 2013 at 12:09 PM Thanks Andrea: I saw a documentary that triggered this poem. There is a story in our family that my Grandmother missed her train that was to connect her to sail on the Titanic. I may not have been born had she caught it. Strange how Fate works.