Columbus and Vespucci charted the sea foam,
their star-studied maps taking them far from home~
till their helmsman did say,
“Hey, take your sextants away…
you ancient sea-souls, get a room for your tome.”
with each breath reborn we sail on
God is the helmsman of our ship
though darkness of night precedes dawn
bliss mists effused is our worship
What is the goose without the flying vee?
Solitary, ugly, fleeing frost alone,
Beating wings without respite as the gale comes on,
Trying not to feel the winter in his bones.
And yet, and still, he hears the solitary calling:
"Transcend, traverse, fly on alone!"
Pushing the horizon to its limit,
Sucking the marrow from life's bones.
The unknown lonely waits, blue yonder question.
To stay, to seek, to yearn, and still to feel.
Only he can know what lies ahead,
And, helmsman craft in one, he must decide.
It’s caught up, always, in those little things:
street corners, half-familiar: shop facades:
it’s not so much expansive boulevards
as rain-worn roofs which pluck the silvery strings
of sorrow. Part of my subconscious clings
to remnants – ruined fragments, broken sherds.
They say the brain’s an organ which discards,
not hoards. Why, then, these cruel rememberings?
A tranquil helmsman, plotting perfect vectors,
is how I see myself. Wretched delusion!
We’re buffeted by failure and exclusion,
divided into Hectors or defectors.
The only shred of dignity it brings
is when we learn to love our sunderings.
"over the waters blue the night winds sigh, the breakers roar”...Lord Byron
I love to be upon the sea
When’er the tides are high
For rough sea does not bother me
Or thunder of the sky
Of this maybe you wonder why
It’s just the way I am
Unafraid and so brave am I
I’m Simple Sailor Sam.
Sailing along I sing with glee
Until the night is nigh
A time to rest this busy bee
To acquire earned shut eye
How quickly time goes floating by
I’m not a lonesome man
As my adventures keep me spry
I’m Simple Sailor Sam.
There’s lots to explore o’er the sea
Dolphins come to say Hi
With acrobatics that cheer me
As I am sailing by
For scenery I have the sky
A gift to an helmsman
Such a jolly sea dog am I
I’m Simple Sailor Sam.
So my hearties please do not cry
I do the best I can
Roaming raging tempests am I
I’m Simple Sailor Sam.
by Maxwell Sebastian Burchett
Set sail on an ocean,
An unknown sea,
At times adrift, unknown destination,
No compass or charts to see.
No return to original harbor
I must sail on,
Perilous to halt, cannot anchor
In this ship not chosen.
Yet I am Captain,
And crew, and then
First Mate,
Navigator and Helmsman.
Still there are lighthouse beacons
On which I rely and depend,
And fleets I seek to join
To find my way on.
To avoid sinking in my cosmic trip
Or being forever lost at sea,
Becoming a ghost ship,
Afloat, but adrift, only me.
To sail the world as a luxury cruise
Or a warship from one battle to the next,
Decided at time of launch in Destiny’s plan
For what storms and ships will be seen on this voyage of man.
This fateful voyage
Is, of course, my life.
The charted course of this passage,
I, the captain, will sail through storms or strife.
Photography by Pexels
A living, breathing source of
Love-flamy light.
For what does each, in the heart
Stir up at night.
Though down in roads' sea-rolled view
Drunken, fogged most
Peninsula-prominent.
Safe helmsman boast.
prioritising gentling each emote ~
we become the helmsman of God’s love boat
Life is short, use it
Grow love, bit by bit
We can
In staid stillness sit
Bliss is soul’s summit
Heart scan
When head and heart fit
Lamp of love is lit
Oh man
Fear is the hit man
But if we’re dead pan
Light glows
Joy is our game plan
Conscience the helmsman
Love grows
None more, none less than
We are all one clan
Heart knows
From head to our toes
Rapturous bliss throes
Fills form
Love’s the debt soul owes
Fragrant like a rose
Be warm
Holding all souls close
It’s time we dispose
Lust storm
15-March-2023
Yonder lighthouse stood for eighty-six years
To warn frightened sailors of storm’s dark peril
A soothing beacon for lonely seamen’s wives’ fears
Yonder lighthouse stood for eighty-six years
Where the jagged rocks awaited, the helmsman nears
Now to climb the winding stairs in tourist’s apparel
Yonder lighthouse stood for eighty-six years
To warn frightened sailors of storm’s dark peril.
HONORABLE MENTION
written May 20, 2021
"All About Lighthouses" poetry contest
All Poetry - October 11, 2021
I was sailing with my friends to explore
the site with my sight
I stand on the edge and see a sea
Quickly grabbed my blue whistle and blew
They all stood here beneath me to hear
Wasn't allowed to make noise aloud
Annoyed a little they stare at me as i came down the stair
I would always wish to be like bee
Someone threw the ball on me with a terrifying bawl
A new person whom I never knew
He purposely did that ..to ask me some sum
But I shared fruits instead ,we all happily ate at eight
I gave two of them to helmsman too
We were about to reach our place in an hour.
As we arrived the destination ran in gait to open the gate...!!
Sep 16, 2020
Brian's COMPLETELY YOUR CHOICE (10)
any form any theme poetry Contest(N/A).
Submitting to Second_chances_na_poems_of_2020_part_III_
Sponsored by Chantelle Anne cooke.
Crossing the Swamp
The enemy within, if unchallenged,
Will destroy the nation to achieve power.
Singing and composing to deceive the innocent,
Spinning narratives to suit their agenda.
For them, the country is a tool to use
To satisfy their selfish interests.
They hate Jesus, Christians, and Jews
And curse the United States of America.
Boldly, the bowman poles away the ‘gators,
While the helmsman rudders straight and true.
Brave Trump, “Commander in Chief,” leads the troops,
Crossing the swamp to root out traitors.
By beacon’s light in murky waters’ blight,
Proudly displayed, “Old Glory” waves
As a nation prays for freedom from evil’s grip
And for the killing of unborn babies to stop.
You, the loving helmsman of this
Pounding heart.
Who was your slave from the
very start.
I,am not feeling well today.
Bring your flickering flames
enclosed in your Herculean body,
To warm me, please do.
Hold me close to your amorous chest,
And let's get lost in each others space!
To travel and traverse the Universe
On a starship purely run on kisses.
You, helmsman of this this wanton
heart,
Keeper of my fragrant kisses,
You~ the dream of all my dreams
And my soul's deepest, most divine wishes.
With my deepest love,
Panagiota
July 2, 2019
6am PST
Nature often violates its own laws.
Miracles can happen every day.
Nature sailing wildly without helmsman
Would soon find itself in a defensive way.
I look around at wonders of the world
And know they were conceived by a great mind
I choose to call that great mind, Lord,
And every day His miracles, you'll find..
A man must be measured
to call himself such
Each storm must be weathered
its helmsman so clutch
Fire must be extinguished
for growth to begin
The seeds of new virtue
—from the ashes of sin
(Villanova Pennsylvania: December, 2015)
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