Peter Tucker Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

This poem is dedicated to the crew of the IRIS Dena, recently torpedoed at sea near Sri Lanka.  It was an act of war; nevertheless the casualties and losses have an inalienable personal value to those affected, which ultimately is all of us.

I understand that the colour "grey" is spelt in many countries as "gray".  Please feel free to substitute the spelling that works best for you.

 

Tropical Grey

Grey is for thunderstorms 
Bulking pregnant with rain drops
Rumbling uncomfortably

Grey is for soapstone
Treacherously slippery
When rain soaks its fragments

Grey is for forest 
When teeming downpour
Presses green into background

Grey is for ocean
Heavy and sluggish
Stretched to the horizon

Grey is for warship
Full speed ahead, throbbing,
Crew at their stations

Grey is for torpedo
A white trail behind it
Lifts warship from water

Black is for deep sea
Embracing the sailors
When the light goes away

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Kissie Banks March 23, 2026 at 3:25 AM This is a wonderful poem, analyzing its grayness until the last line. I could actually feel the blackness of the deep-sea waters with no lights. Awesome read. Peter Tucker March 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM Thank you for your kind comment. Peter