Best Nautical Poems
Through waters you move.
All else is dull when compared.
What beauty you hold.
NAUTICAL
a gale of tidal
nautical waves
nourish the shoal
hand palming moist
as wet sands drain
lungs fill with the
beauty of usage
swallowing it in
throat soaked
spheres float above
discreetly quietly
nonentity upstarts
avoid nautical
aquanimity
blind to sea
blind to see
clarity
of mind
© Kim van Breda—19 October 2015
[Written as a sort of sea shanty style thing-a-me-Bob. Tin Fish = Torpedo]
When the tin fish hit me starboard I was thrown into the sea
I sank down to the ocean bed for all eternity
I met a man called Davy Jones who handed me a key
I opened up his locker just to see what I might see
But then I sensed my captain who came drifting up to me
He gazed upon the locker with some curiosity
I looked into the locker and was quite surprised to see
A brandy for my captain and another one for me
We drank the brandy down and then my captain looked at me
He said do you feel squiffy and I said, ‘Decidedly’
I sprouted extra legs and then I hollered frantically
It seems that Davy Jones has made an octopus of me
But then I saw a mermaid and she winked suggestively
Strangely she was right there where the captain used to be
And then it dawned upon me that the mermaid once was he
The captain sure was pretty now, but too much man for me
He still had all his ‘tackle’ which was pointing straight at me
I quickly crossed my legs - all eight - but then I couldn’t flee
The captains mast was raised and he intended it for me
I tried to swim for freedom as I screamed hysterically
And then I felt my shoulder being shaken frantically
The naval doctor said I wasn't drowning in the sea
The medic blamed my diet and he made me this decree
Don’t have cheese for supper or much later than your tea
A very wise but good natured
mathematician once
whispered to me
some helpful words of advice
when sailing the seven seas
it takes 1,852 metres and 6,076 feet
to find each nautical miles
How she did it
I found very shocking
because I didn't even know
the method she had used
whether finding the circumference of the Earth surface
or speed up time by sixty seconds
or even plotting the gradient and a straight line
I found the whole thing so confusing
even for a person who is a very talented mariner
but at the end all she did was as tell me
that's just life my dear friend
If you're sitting comfortably and have locked your mobile 'phones,
I'll tell you all a story about Indiana Jones
I met him on a wooden bench whilst strolling through a park
He was mumbling incoherently about some missing ark
At some point back in history, a loaded ark set sail
The animals had disembarked according to his tale
Instead, some coins and jewellery were loaded from the dock
But several chests were not secured and the hull began to rock
I offered him some peppermints to show my gratitude
And listened hard for any hints of track or latitude
His plans seemed very tentative but he clearly had ambition
But didn't even know the name of this ark, or its position.
The headland where the ark decayed was really quite remote
And the islanders with crates of gold, they didn't want to gloat
The bodies of the final crew were never, ever found
But Mister Jones was quite convinced - that ship had run aground.
The barmaid had a hunch the wreck was east of the Azores
But she had no time for banter, 'cos she had to do her chores
If she shared her speculation, she'd be scolded by her mum -
Were it not for weekly meetings, they would not be selling rum.
I never went back to that pub to meet that motley crew
Whose plans seemed quite ridiculous, I had better things to do.
If you are ever tempted to sail away in stormy weather
Steer clear of men with stubble, wide-brimmed hats and shabby leather.
Arks are ships of substance with many planks and beams
Losing one is careless and much harder than it seems
If a fellow on a park bench engages you in conversation
Stand up to him and shout “Raid an ark of known location!”
A rather dashing and exquisitely designed purple weather balloon was racing against a dark grey sofa, a beach towel, a cotton bud and a statue of king Kong the eighth. Across the beaded sky joined by the sea eagles whose breakfast could always be located in a mountainside by the ocean. The barriers were to be flown over and the locked chasms were taken as an obstacle course. The p is not a pea nor is it a pee. But a p is to be said to have the most curvaceous zone and the stem is to hold the important curve. Remark but no bark. And dare to jump over there? It is ninety three miles to get over the living room. Wow. Room to grow is not a room to glow for to glow is to glimmer gradients giving goblins grits. And a little bit of sauce on a ladle is far better than a cake that is smothered and suffocated with cream. And all now please remember that a spotted cat on a rail does have a tail that accurately measures over one thousand cubic feet. Such drop drama deity of a toe. In a hooey hoody. With a ripped sock. Fashionable isn't it? Fast frog family hop hop hopping. Hahaha the stalls are singing the comedy song to a field of sheep. Hahahah the weapons are wearing skirts and waltzing. Xxxxx gesticulation Z z z Z
Tropical breezes waft across a sea of empyrean bliss as
a lost ship, the The Golden Dragon,
cast it’s indigo shadow upon turquoise waters.
Parrots preening one another,
were the welcoming party for weary travelers.
whispering leaves on trees twisted with the winds of ages,
graced the morning light upon the shore.
Down Anchor and a shoreward visit to
this seraphic isle, gave them a chance
to enjoy an idyllic splendor, they’d never before seen;
Fruit and nuts were gathered and some small animals for sustenance and a much-need good night’s sleep allowed them time to reflect, reconnect with one another and re-chart their course.
The preening pair watched
as the ship weighted anchor, turned starboard,
and vanished into thin air.
Lost on a sailboat going nowhere but towards a dream
I glide deeper in blue waters looking for the endless seam
night has fallen softly all around me, I can only gleam
here in my sailboat, standing spar to spar a pulpit realm
Finding only calm I mesh as one with the dolphins in the sea
the wind blows softly in my ear whistling past the bow now free
the calendar of time fades as dull as grandad's silver cutlery
I breathe deep, deeper then mermaids, there are three ***
Entering forbidden lands, my fantasy is real and real is not , I could
for I'm warrior of old navigating, counting knots on a piece of wood
ancient trees wave from a distance standing where they always stood
while my unflappable sails align to the sky, 15 knots no more all good
Finding solace in a cup of Joe sitting on a berth at the edge of night
the stars are pantomiming with the flicker of their equestrian light
she sits beside me reading my tea cup in her flimsy gown of white
the ghost of my Fedora, together we are lost in a nautical twilight.
May 25, 2021
Time Poetry Contest Sponsored by: Chantelle Anne Cooke
ghosts on the water
Captains courageous
Out hunting for whale
Ghosts on the water
Still under sail
Whales are all gone now
Time goes so fast
Ghosts on the water
Still a'fore the mast
Yesterday beckons
But no one can see
The ghosts on the water
Still sailing the sea
Hunting for schools
That no longer exist
Ghosts on the water
Sail on in the mist
Captains courageous
Out hunting for blue
Souls lost in stasis
A captain and crew
Looking for something
Fighting waves and the gales
Ghosts on the water
Still under sail
A sailor's adventure
Going where the wind blows
When will the sea bite?
Nobody knows
Ships nonexistent
Hunting whales also lost
Ghosts on the water
Whatever the cost
Balefire
What glory is a lighthouse with no storm to weather?
For there is no solace in harbouring a harpooned wanderer
Truth be told, I am the jaded sea-torn sailor
Yet they sing to me and call me the Balefire
Doldrums
Doldrums
Dear doldrums you call…..
In endless seas jetsam thoughts seek out the siren’s forever
Despite smooth tides and the steady marauder
Truth be told, I am the sea-sick star-gazer
Yet the sing to me and call me the Balefire
Doldrums
Doldrums
Dear doldrums you call…..
Washed ashore, these barren lands may guide me asunder
I can forget my qualms in search of treasure
Where windward dreams shall starve the fever
Truth be told, I am the moody-marooned mariner
Yet they sing to me and call me the Balefire
Doldrums
Doldrums
Dear doldrums you called…..
They say the ocean is home to many souls lost at sea
The Doldrums tell me there is no greater death than the one within me
Mystic mystical seas
Wayward soldier
it's not yet over
over yourself is just
being gone over
on the rising raging seas
your voyages just begun
Binding me and in raging seas
high at nautical pace your journey's
Journey course
it is of course
nautical lacrosse
at the raging marsh a
Nautical Navy soldier
2/5/21
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr © 2021
An experienced ship's commander
uses AIs similar transponder
knows what the map blur is
don't sink ship for quiz
not blur of mosquito , i ponder