Sea-dipping, my all, once of me did peel
Yond its shore-broke ferment.
At peace in bubble realms, opulescent;
As must the dying feel.
It’s love that makes existence an existence
Love is a piece of art that offers the best plan
The art of you shows up, it knows no distance
Intercreated, we have done the best we can
I never doubted our time and place
We were so specialized in living for art’s sake
No sign of mystery was covering our case
It went so natural, there wasn’t a mistake
Here in this garden, which is our cathedral
Your Coral Reef’s an icon, heals all wounds
Alone again, I’m praying by the wall
I’m privileged to watch the Coral blooms..
In the tree walk
We were walking in the trees
Leaving all the crap below
we entered another world
of insects, birds, squirrels, bats and bees
communicating trees
in unconditioned coolness
in the above living
where everything is breathing
unaware, indifferent, trusting, being
This was no world of false words
Or vain lies and posturing
This was no television soap opera
Of feigned emotions or histrionics
Here like a plunge into a tropical sea
Our face was pushed against the edge
Of a silent world in motion
A world without words
In a structure organized like a jewel
Or a sunny smiling symphony
Here we were
As if floating under the sea
Off coral reefs
With snorkel or tank
Where there we left all the crap above
Now here in the trees
We left all the crap below
It’s either crap above or crap below
It’s still crap though
So burn it up in a uranium fire
Let these two worlds meet in us in love
In the air where paradise is waiting below and above
Standdown Day
USS Coral Sea—Spring 1979
standdown day
no flights
alone I stand upon flight deck
three football fields long
thousands of tons of solid steel
an insignificant gray speck
upon the bounding main
below decks five thousand sailors
and marines on a mission
some scramble, others grind on
some sleep
fourteen-hour days
seven days straight
now standdown day
dusk
gulf water mirror still
a vivid rainbow spans in
a high, full, majestic arc
horizon to horizon
night
below decks I pass berthing
areas crowded with
bed racks stacked three high
eerily quiet for a crammed
metal city
I must work through the
Night and into the morning
Looking forward always to
The next port
by Robert Gorelick
November 11, 2025
great barrier reef
a vibrant kaleidoscope
~ motley whimsy
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Coral reef beneath the surface
Golden sun glitters atop the shimming waves
Scuba diving off Australia's shores
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Written: July 30, 2025, for contest Sponsored by: Oliver Mckeithan
**************
palimpsest of love—
laurel dreams and libido
fiddle in the hum,
winding soul, smitten and raw—
coral heart churning through tides.
lovesick soul hums soft,
coral and laurel entwined—
fiddle of the heart.
7 lines /7syllables
______________
she was touched by a phantom
becoming a phantom too
both boarded coral carriage
wheels grate cobble streets in mist
opera seats were waiting
then to swirl on dancing floor
she relished escaping hours
moonlight drapes over
coral coloured grains of sand
resting peacefully
vivid spectacle
the beauty of coral reefs ~
optic masterpiece
Blood of gems
crosses the tides
a fractured tremor
of a weary river
fog of marrow
diluted by tremors
spines chained
to the edges of a coral
sinking deep
stones upon a shore
that quivers
and the body hears
only
a wave
mute
that carves.
Unexpectedly
inspired by a Péladan jeremiad,
the red moon laughs at the sea
and the possum-ness of the possum;
Churlish blood rays remain
a never never world utterance of the jungle,
Every lupercalian dragonfly
conspires with brooding
red hibiscus flowers;
On a night like this,
all creation winces and endures
before melting into a black water mirage
of broken feverish brush strokes
and fruit bats in a mangrove swamp.
Under the sea with colorful coral all over
Bright colors all over the sea
Sand that engulfs the whole ocean
The smell of Krabby Patties within the sea
A yellow sponge coming out of a pineapple dancing work
A blue squid frowning down below
A pink star under a rock
A red crab talking about money and
Several sea creatures crowding inside a barrel with
The smell of food emanating from it
Jeweled sea spiders,
Feasting on jeweled coral,
Living Faberge!
~ Our Coral Atoll ~
Like incense fills the valves of the chambers of my soul.
Love for life, like a gentle river, totally flooded me.
Once you came and remained, my sole bright, coral love atoll.
Everlastingly gleaming in God's sunlight and moonlight,
Ever lifting me to new insights,as a stunning velvet blue butterfly,
Resting on our quilt, on this siver, moon-blessed night
Your love, your hands, your deep Mediterranean eyes,gleaming.
As that eternal instant we met in our cafe, divine kismet!
My most precious darling, man, our love forever flowering?
11/29/2024
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