Adam’s Ale
—the old name for water, the first drink, the simplest thirst.
Bougainvillea, thorn-armored bloom,
plankton drifting—algae, crustaceans—
a hidden kingdom in an inland basin,
non-oceanic water breathing its own tides.
I splash my face in the reservoir,
Adam’s ale cooling my skin,
while light bends and scatters—
I am refracted,
a prism made of flesh and ache,
splintering into the many rays of sun.
I sit beneath an arboreal sky,
ceiling woven from foliage and verdure,
cathedral of green where shadows
keep their soft liturgy.
Saudade gnaws the marrow of light,
and my sunlit heart caves inward.
I hunger for your presence,
for the echo of your breath in the leaves.
If the day could linger—
just one more turn of the earth—
I would not ask for forever.
But even plankton drift toward dark,
their glow extinguished in the basin’s hush;
so too my heart, without your light.
SUBMERSED*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
submersed
under cerulean layers of sleep
I drift, like plankton, unanchored…
GloFish, protists,
underwater atolls,
sea dragons, shipwrecks
moving with the undercurrent
of water drenched in sapphire moonlight
far above the waves,
a single fixed eye, unblinking,
whirls with the horizon’s arc
a glimmer, an omen, or a target glimpsed
disappeared in a moment~
and the undulating, briny sea,
the murkiness of an unfamiliar shore,
and
the beautiful luster of a sleep-darkened sky.
Ode to the Ocean
All-encompassing, a vast blue might,
Billions of droplets, reflecting light.
Coral castles, where sea creatures roam,
Deepest trenches, a mysterious home.
Ever-moving, with rhythmic sway,
Fresh ocean breezes, greet each new day.
Glistening surface, a mirror so clear,
Haunting echoes, for all who draw near.
Immense and ancient, full of lore,
Joyful dolphins, leap from the shore.
Kelping forests, where life can thrive,
Luminous plankton, keeping dreams alive.
Mysteries hidden, in depths unknown,
Nature's grandeur, beautifully shown.
Onward currents, tirelessly flow,
Pristine waters, a mesmerizing glow.
Quiet whispers, from waves on the sand,
Rich biodiversity, across every land.
Salty essence, a taste of the wild,
Tidal surges, powerfully compiled.
Underwater wonders, a breathtaking sight,
Vast and vital, shining so bright.
Wild and free, where horizons extend,
Xenial waters, where life entwines.
Yearning spirits, forever it calls,
Zephyrs dancing, as each wave falls.
The ocean is a brimming bountiful beauty,
of whales, porpoises, dolphins, seahorses,
fish, seabirds, plankton, algae,
sparkling brine of emerald and blue.
Her dead are entombed in her eternal body,
she rises in the merciless storms,
with waves that toss many craft.
Yet, she also lies smoothly as a
sleeping kitten,
mariner's timeless sea chanties in the
winds.
She is envious of the sailor's love
for mermaids,
as she calls them from ports with
her lure.
She's undiscovered in
some ways,
oceanographers still learning.
She must not be overharvested,
she needs to replenish her strength.
Always wondrous and courted
by the mystique of the moon,
warm and bright in the tropical sun,
colder in the North's barren heart.
The great deep-
her legend in literature, art, and song. ~
the seahorses grazed in a field undersea
the jellyfish wobbled at the party
the starfish in their constellations went
the clams secretive tight lipped and silent
the hammerhead sharks did the DIY
the clown fish entertained as they swam by
the plankton ruled undersea in their gangs
the octopuses spent too long shaking hands
the crabs on the side their day they spent
the lobsters approached in a pincer movement
the sea urchins loitered dishevelled and poor
while the oysters enjoyed everything and all
Our earthly realm of wonder and beauty
Observing its glory is our living duty
The most exquisite sight I have ever seen
Was a paradise island I have never been
A tiny green dot in the mighty ocean blue
Unleash your dreams and you may visit too
Just close your eyes and raise your sail
You’ll be carried there by a windy gale
I came ashore to electric blue plankton glow
Greeted upon arrival to a bioluminescent show
Beach sand glinted with a hue so golden
A majestic visual treat that left me beholden
Birds of flamboyant colour stunned me aghast
Exotic green jungle so lush, dense, and vast
I discovered an abundance of tropical trees
Many splendrous species, quite keen to please
I decided to dwell there, in a cabin of bamboo
Cruising immaculate streams in my little dented canoe
At night, I marvelled, as the cosmos triumphantly danced
Sitting serenely by my campfire, euphorically entranced
I awoke that morning in blissful peace
For I conjured an idyllic place, never to cease
It exists within my beating heart and my musing mind
Every time I close my eyes and dream, paradise I find
The many boats around sit in the harbour
One tailing the other now and then
Serried lined and flanked with one another
They pause for thought gathering day before them
The ferrous water sits so still in motion
As plankton line the sterns and afts like moluscs
Peeping over ropes and bobbing under
Waiting out the storming rain and thunder
They never see a passer by or vendor
Instead their vision remains steady on the water
Where promises of undulating sea throngs
Bring mystery to ocean faring wonder
I have an S-curved neck
I am a tropical bird who can stand on one foot
hot pink feathered wading bird
I eat shrimp plankton and algae
who am I?
Gluggy margarine marine grips keels
Apex sun spreads sickly circle of lard
Plugged lungs, gust momentum marred
Strait elongates co-ordinate, pace killed
Gliding knife grease fixed current kestrels
Impotent motor pendulums drowsy matelot
Exhonerating tranquillity served seas slow
Exoteric tampers spatula flat vapid vessel
Crusading armada cruise aquatic canyon
Rigid crucifix mast meanders evangelical
Illusive land sinks split quills, sodalite inkwell
Top-gallant swallowed, whale snack plankton
Inert surrender line honours, hundred strong
Quelled by existence Earth centric
Universe of solar centre offensive
Encourages complacent latent symposium
Rigging ties tradition to methods regaled
Order drifts on brittle fine line filament
Oceanic only planet confirms familiar
Moribund remains phobic, slick oil sailed
18th February
Fear of Anarchy
GAPS GIVE CRITIQUE ROOM
Blue faced Jay Woman is juggling ocean orbs unknown to man
She will plunk them into appropriate points in the sea of Dill
But for now, she is mixing them up as well as she possibly can
Inside the orbs are healing plants for the sharks, dolphins and krill.
Why does she care so much? The moon asks the stars who have insight.
Her mission is to add a glow of hope and optimism to the deep see below.
They stare at Jay Woman, the savior of the plankton and coral of the night.
Where else she travels, we truly are not privy to, so we do not know.
Gently riding crests of waves across the ocean bay
Cumulus clouds sail high above on a beautiful sunny day
The anchor is dropped and we've lowered the sails
Our camera's are handy as we look for whales
The humpbacks are here for the plankton and krill
We patiently watch and sit perfectly still
These gentle giants are a treasure to see
So we must protect them and our deep blue sea
For time's of the essence and we cannot wait
We all must do more before it's too late
Davy Jones: Do you fear… death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare, all your sins punished?
—Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 2006
ALONE IN GLASS BOTTOM
Alone in glass bottom,
with plankton underneath -
boat’s in midriff of sea.
I’ve plenty of water.
Sink or swim - am I free?
Alone in glass bottom
Should I write a message?
Bottle it up or send…?
Could be my last chance to
navigate and defend.
Alone in glass bottom
Should I fish for a shark
and devour great white fin -
drive it deep in my heart?
Would that too be a sin?
Alone in glass bottom
swirling last gulp of rum,
the famous Davy Jones
frees the gold…and I grieve,
as the deep binds my bones.
4/6/2022
Contest: Form M - Monchielle
Sponsor: Constance La France
Theme: Ocean/Sea
RhymeZone and HowManySyllables.
To be (I don’t want to be)
I don’t want to be a Mole living in a hole,
I want to be a Cat sunbathing on a mat
I don’t want to be a slug slithering like a lug,
I want to be an eagle majestic and regale
I don’t want to be a worm blind without colour,
I want to be a Mantis Shrimp that sees colour like no Other.
I don’t want to be single cell Zoo plankton,
I want to be a dolphin with a high IQ and live in Rockhampton.
I don’t want to be a tetchy Lantern shark,
I want to be a Momma Blue Whale wagging her tail.
If I had choices these things I’d pick,
They would be the boxes I’d tick.
But failing all that:
no cat and no mat,
no regale eagle,
no Mantis Shrimp painting,
no body inflating.
I’d pick me
Every pea,
With my soul and my mole and my wonky knee.
From my perspective, although it’s subjective
I feel and I think and I see
And there’s only one of me!
Struck! Evening murk ink sky infultrated
Weapon copper key turns lock apricot
Crystal busy bunched clouds fluro painted
Fleshy salmon jump aboard paper yacht
Storm dealt in spledour of unicorn wings
Rooftop hooves unheard by screen bound many
Peach plumage gallops gaily, ombre brings
Daisy daggers to grey ordinary
Pirates fear nearness to pole flamingo
Neon flag slaps unsuspecting sailors
Phospher aqua plankton blown where wind goes
Rosey riot ocean show's outrageous
Rust runs from pegasus horn, orange spark
Spilt pink electric brush strokes puncture dark
30th August
Thank Jesus
for this Show
When I watch the news, I become concerned about humanity's future, alarmed at the speed of irreversible changes happening to our planet, from global warming to climate change and the possible extinction of plankton and coral reefs. I've witnessed devastating floods in Bangladesh, India, Japan, and China, as well as droughts in the United States, Somalia, and Morocco, displacing thousands of people from their homes. The world is in crisis! According to the most recent United Nations estimates, Earth’s population was 7.9 billion as of 2021. We cannot sustain the lifestyle we enjoy today on a planet with shrinking, finite resources. People are living longer, demanding more, and are rapidly destroying the world’s ecosystems. We've ravaged and poisoned our oceans, burnt or cut down our forests, and squandered our fossil fuels. Whatever future calamities await the human race, they will be life-changing and as inevitable as Death and the rise and fall of the tides.
hunger fuels hate
there's no compassion in greed...
a baby is born
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