Whilst here roomed do moor
Away from its shore
The true homeland's, are yet found
To be nowhere bound.
Warm, safe, life-rested
When for it hoisted
Strain against whose stress, ongoing
Blows for lost feeling.
in a night so dark and sea so deep,
on the sandy shore we safely sleep,
yet far out on the rolling wave
fishermen on tiny boat venture out brave
a weather-beaten lantern is shining small
against shadows brooding and tall.
the tumultuous sea rises like a wall
threatening to engulf them all
the full moon above penetrates twilight
and kisses the sea with her silver light.
meanwhile, there are jagged rocks ahead
where the violent black sea portends dread.
there are two streaks of light on the foam
one from the sky, the other far from home.
a fragile shell of wood and twine
is tossed by the constantly churning brine.
nevertheless, they row on against the gale
with trembling hands and cumbersome sail
despite odds against the restless sea's might,
the fishermen battle on as they wait for light.
They were completely taken by surprise
The "dragons" come as thick fog
apparently, cushion-soft
Fascinated, but worried and afraid
- rolling wet attack over ocean
Dangerous to sail
it will require a lot of knowledge
In the fog, every wave
and every sound is amplified,
the familiar becomes strange
On top of a windswept cliff
there stands a lighthouse
with its magical light
It is the salvation, without a doubt
In long days' absence, the sun's bright glare,
beats down, a burning shore I cannot leave.
The day is too long, my body in water's snare
but my mind's an ocean, deeper, waves of grief I weave.
Good memories now of pain, like ocean debris, float and stray.
My heart aches for your touch, a fleeting spark that scorched my soul.
You were calm on the outside but stormy emotions on the inside.
Salt stained tears, remembering your smile, my heart's control.
The silence screams, waves crashing on the shore,
A goodbye, cruel words, "I can't, we can't, it's wrong" no more.
Your wound, a darkness, shadows still prevail,
I know you're not like that.
A gentle soul, lost in your own storm torn sea, I implore.
May the Lord bring you peace and heal your wounded heart
and maybe someday, love's waves will bring you back to start.
Amid the conflict of competing voices,
Which one should we listen to
In a world without a compass
Steering us recklessly
With no anchor to hold us steady?
Siren voices are stealing our souls
To leave us stranded
No longer knowing right from wrong
No longer knowing
The distinction between good and bad.
We are in danger of losing our way
As Hell beckons us all
To find freedom
Where no boundaries exist
To limit our pleasures
Instead of standing on the terra firma
Of a sound system of morality.
Christ came to show us the way
Through his truth and his light.
His should be the voice we cling to
In the shipwreck of our lives.
More of a sustained quaking
Than was ever felt on land!
Here and herein;
Sea-stood; boated.
Of what, terror-struck, out through
Each rolling hill of a wave
Is, is'nt seen.
Face, foam-clotted.
Right in the middle of an ocean
You realise you're part of the life cycle
Staring right there at the big sun
The blinding light shuts down your IQ
The water seems to be overcoming you
Your saviour appears to be a big rock
Only if nightlight tales were true,
Then a shark's back wouldn't be a big shock
You wake up realising you slept the night
In a split second you feel something sharp
Of course your body is a shark's delight
It wouldn't care about all your crap.
By Michael faleti
This ship that I’ve chosen to sail be proven swift and strong.
We’ve weathered much together, she and I.
So many days amidst the wind and storms we’ve travelled long
to cross this mighty ocean here beneath the endless sky.
Sometimes it seems that this will be how I spend all my days,
like being tossed at sea is all there is.
It’s hard to hold out faith that there be more than endless waves,
but I am being true to his promise -
That there’s a land ahead that God has called me to sail to,
somewhere that he has prepared just for me.
So, I sail on despite the storms for I know if I’m true…
‘twill have been worth it to be tossed at sea.
With bent backs, aching bones, and withered hands
We unfurled sail beneath a glorious moon
Which painted you softly on the jeweled night
Your smile glistened as you stood at the bow
Our canvas full we braved a quiet bay
With the barest breeze trailing in our wake
The wind deserted us upon a silken sea
Furling our sails tight against the spruce mast
We tossed our anchor into a white sprayed splash
Venturing below deck we latched the hatch
Turning up the radio with feisty, rollicking rock
Yeehaw Grandma shrilled this eager Grandpa
As our wood hulled boat shattered the glassy sea
Pitching port and starboard with roll and wrenching yaw
Our ancient bones arose at morn through a popped-up hatch
To find a blushing dawn caressing the sky.
ADRIFT AT SEA*
sea-worn bottle,
bobs on a digital tide.
inside, not paper brittle with salt,
but luminous lines of light,
coded in metaphors and rhyme.
message tossed
into the sea.
unknown sender,
no harbor designated, no destination
on any map.
it drifts, a lonely vessel,
across oceans of indifference,
until…
a seacoast appears,
unsummoned,
unexpected.
my eyes, the sand.
my mind, the beach.
I pick it up,
this delicate thing,
uncorking the silence.
The words flow out,
a story whispered,
a feeling shared,
across lifetimes,
across the vacuity.
suddenly,
I am the address.
the recipient unknown,
FOUND.
the message delivered.
the poem,
HOME.
*Note: I posted this poem at Poetry Soup in June 2025 then deleted it (www.poetrysoup.com › poem › adrift_at_sea_1740391). This is my original poem and has not been plagiarized. Also, this poem was recently published in Highland Park Poetry’s Anthology titled MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE. I am blessed.
Clicks, whistles and pulsed calls
coming from whales you can't see
Within the compounds, no walls
only ocean water and Captain Lee
Sonograms and ultrasounds, its a joy
when whale voices are heard !
Binoculars views, soon they deploy
leviathans swim without a word
The echo returns not for they do run free
always returning to their summer grounds
Into the womb of the deep blue sea
they go, to a place where they can't be found.
The Skipper of the Ship
asked the Vipper of Vip
to please tone it down on the trip
The Vipper said, ‘Skip,
my tongue always slips
a few little quips
into the end of each line’
Well, the Skipper sat back
and finding naught to attack
ate the third cookie
~ of his afternoon snack
Snapping it up with so much zeal
The shiny black shag with its slinky eel.
The sand eel squirmed and slipped back to the sea.
The shag said stop, please stay with me!
You want to eat me said the edible eel.
I do not want to be your meal.
I see you swim under the sea
At speeds much faster than slithering me.
You will swallow me whole.
And then where will I be?
In my belly, of course, said the shag smilingly!
A ship in a bottle
…..Becalmed
…..Left the cap off
….The crew went AWOL
The howling wind was still and lightning flashed no more;
the little ship was sailing on the smoothest sea,
but then a giant tentacle appeared on deck,
and as they hacked it off, a second arm...then three...
and in those icy waters there's nowhere to flee!
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