When not out clubbing
hey-ho the merry oh
at night with the Inuit
I suspect by intuit
an intrepid Inuk named Nanook
a-hunting walrus he would go
with his trusty harpoon
traipsing 'cross the ice and snow
then when paddling afloat he went
in the harsh Arctic environment
to keep out the bitter cold and damp
in the very bottom of his boat
there was a fiery seal oil lamp
which eventually burned a hole
and without trace into oblivion he sank
with nothing to mark the place
in those deep dark blue depths so dank
even so who can ever forget
this tall tale chilling yet true
as his demise to the pithy proverb gave rise
'You can't have your kayak and heat it too'
He wanted to drive a racecar-
a deed that would make him a star.
His friends would say wow-
and Mom, praise avow
for scoring top level- bizarre!
Now flashing on his radar view
a race with a Kayak would too-
Mam Hannah runs them-
each noon plans a gem!
So great if he did place in two!
sleek kayak paddle
slices through ancient ocean
kyak schools scatter
Planned trips can be stifling and boring
As a spontaneous Gemini, I took a happy risk
I latched my kayak onto my jeep and drove west
Spoke to people along the way
One forest ranger suggested an isolated spot
It’s busy in the summers, but not at this time of year
The day’s skies celebrated with me as I disembarked.
Giant overseers in the way of mountains cheered me on.
There were no trills, peeps or whistles.
If there were birds, they were silent.
A splash in the water turned my head.
A circle of possibility was to my right
The water was cold, so I was glad I was wearing waders.
I pushed my orange kayak into the lake, loving the silence.
Sun spoke to clouds, and they floated off to another lake.
It was the perfect day to be alone with God.
kayak
gliding stealth
~ a wrinkled sunset
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
I took my KAYAK to the river for a magic glide
to see a red breast robin soar ALULA stride
He owned REVIVER eyes of sprite that shout
and ebon wings of blue that LEVEL out
He sang a MINIM throated song of chirp
with PULLUP lifted moves I couldn't crop
One glide across the river, oh what joy
to live in leisure time without decoy;
May 21, 2018
Palindrome words Used: Kayak, Alula, Reviver, Level, Minim, Pullup.
Tip of her kayak
Tears
At the tissue of Torch Lake
In its morning middle
New sun floating blurry
A half-deflated balloon
Struggling on a string above the hills
Fists of fog like marble hands
Warming themselves in the steam
From the night-chilled water
I can barely see our daughter
Out there
Lit
Like a dragonfly
On the petal of a blue flower
The ends of her pink paddles
Slowly
Beating up and down
Along her sides
Wings
Testing the delicate air
Making her way to the other shore.
I put my binoculars down.
Next week she leaves for Marketing school in college.
KAYAK 1942 ? Ireland
A LAD NOT THREE
STRETCHES FOR THE WINDOW SILL
A ROOM QUITE DARK
NO SOUND AROUND
ALL MOVEMENT IS OUTSIDE
A DAY BRIGHT BLUE
ELMS, GRAND PARENTS GREW.
BARK OF MOTTLED GRAY.
FILTERED LIGHT OF YELLOW GREEN
A FIGURE PASSES, SO WHITE, TALL, LEAN,
WEARING A SUITE OF BLUE AND
POINTED KAYAK RED,
HE STRODE PASSING LEFT TO
LAUNCH AND WHEN OR WHERE,
[WHO KNOWS?] HE GOES
A DREAM OF MANY A YEAR
PAST, SUDDENLY REVEALED,
THE FIGURES WHERE
MY DAD AND ME.
Kayak Haiku
River paddles down
Canoe skin, metal, bobbing
Orange red on blue
Ole Les set out by kayak from the shore
Big blue marlin rose from the ocean floor
Nipped his bait, gave Les a tow
Water-logged craft sank below
Friends shook their heads and said, "No Les, no more"
4/27/2011
Written for John Freeman's "Fishing" limerick contest
Okay, the man's name wasn't Les ,but this video shows two kayaks being towed 11
miles by marlins. I took a little poetic license with the ending too. Both men
survived. If you fish you will be amazed by this video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/KayakFishingTales?
v=FqVEvNocKTA&feature=pyv&ad=4751720259&kw=kayaking
I grab my paddle and life vest
To do the thing that I like best
I put it in the Puget Sound
And ride my kayak all around
I take it out for exercise
I roll it over should it capsize
I’ve paddled it far off the shore
I’ve paddled near orcas before
My kayak and I go far
To places you can’t reach by car
In the shell I carry things
That any other camper brings
I have a kayak I use for fun
It’s a single, built for one
I have another made for two
Big enough for me and you
If you’d like to give it a try
I’ll make sure that you stay dry
Sit up front, the view is clear
I’ll sit in back so I can steer
Some like cars and some like planes
Some like bikes and some like trains
But for the ride that I like best
I grab my paddle and life vest
No longer locked in shiny spheres
that rumble-role in soothing speed
too closely packed on lazy tar
like beads confined upon a string
I feel the water freely flow
My paddle tips reach for the sky
The land two ribbons by my side
No roaring engine leads the way
The water-flow starts at my door
It drifts away through the lagoon
One day I'll join it to the bay
and out beyond the Golden Gate
kayak cradles in ocean
mercy to explore
winds wash mountains
drop of waters fed valley
black sand washed in moon
fly in wings of sea turtle
catch flooding lava fits rim
kayak swept as waters roar
nests abating hopes
flaps of dolphins flares
pitch of whales refrain
echo amidst clouds through streams
silence of flowing lava spawn
ashes grew to river under crust
born to a new land till joins all
kayak dreams promise land
all aboard found in stems
wiped sugar cane costly labor
lava is more respectful
swing in terrain flow its dance
heir in blossoms flowers terrain
kayak follows given drift
tender fusion realm alley
current expand lava beneath
sun and moon swirls novou
singing in high tides become one
branches of queen banyan
kayak runs against all odds
become part of lava runs ocean
(dedicated to the people of Hawaii)
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