Pices Rising (Poetry)
25th January 2015
After W.H. Auden
As I strolled out one morning,
Strolling along the sands,
The waves upon the ocean
Were forests of green hands.
And down by the curling shallows
I heard a seagull cry,
Floating over the cliff-tops:
‘The sea will never die.
‘Her waters might freeze over,
Blue whales become extinct,
But deep within her womb-world
Life’s blueprint lies — salt-linked.
‘And however you abuse her,
Discharge your rubbish in
And poison all her children:
The sea will always win.
‘Ice floes wink in the distance,
Tides slap a claim on the shore
And drag the odd ship, or a sailor
Down to the cold ocean floor.
‘Captains of industry tremble,
Parade arm-in-arm on the beach,
Deny they’re to blame for pollution
And so pass the buck — each to each.
‘It’s time, only time, that is passing,
Watch it sail on out of sight,
Black trails the slow wake of progress,
Now wonder if man has the right.
‘Remorse is a cloudy horizon,
Regret is a word conscience said
As the fish float by, bellies upward,
And seals huddle close to their dead.
‘Sunlight tempers illusion,
Lures both shop girl and clerk
Where cracks in the sea-bed widen
And suck them back to the dark.
‘Bubbles float to the surface,
From below a ship bell’s chime
Mourns for its proud, pretty owner
Wrecked on coasts of time.
‘O weep for the Titanic,
Note well Marie Celeste:
The sea will take its vengeance,
It will not give you rest.
‘Be not deceived by acres
Of waves tucked small and good
It might look calm for sailing
But currents ache for blood.
‘Old bones of contention
Rattle, haunt the coast.
A voice moans from his locker —
Davy Jones’s ghost.
‘Great peaks of foam crawl closer,
Breakers roar and swell
And spit their accusations
With salt-sting threats of Hell.’
A dawn wind chilled my shoulder,
The spirit-bird had gone.
The sea erased my footprints
And rolled sublimely on.
3.11.88
As I strolled out one morning,
Strolling along the sands,
The waves upon the ocean
Were forests of green hands.
And down by the curling shallows
I heard a seagull cry,
Floating over the cliff-tops:
‘The sea will never die.
‘Her waters might freeze over,
Blue whales become extinct,
But deep within her womb-world
Life’s blueprint lies — salt-linked.
‘And however you abuse her,
Discharge your rubbish in
And poison all her children:
The sea will always win.
‘Ice floes wink in the distance,
Tides slap a claim on the shore
And drag the odd ship, or a sailor
Down to the cold ocean floor.
‘Captains of industry tremble,
Parade arm-in-arm on the beach,
Deny they’re to blame for pollution
And so pass the buck — each to each.
‘It’s time, only time, that is passing,
Watch it sail on out of sight,
Black trails the slow wake of progress,
Now wonder if man has the right.
‘Remorse is a cloudy horizon,
Regret is a word conscience said
As the fish float by, bellies upward,
And seals huddle close to their dead.
‘Sunlight tempers illusion,
Lures both shop girl and clerk
Where cracks in the sea-bed widen
And suck them back to the dark.
‘Bubbles float to the surface,
From below a ship bell’s chime
Mourns for its proud, pretty owner
Wrecked on coasts of time.
‘O weep for the Titanic,
Note well Marie Celeste:
The sea will take its vengeance,
It will not give you rest.
‘Be not deceived by acres
Of waves tucked small and good
It might look calm for sailing
But currents ache for blood.
‘Old bones of contention
Rattle, haunt the coast.
A voice moans from his locker —
Davy Jones’s ghost.
‘Great peaks of foam crawl closer,
Breakers roar and swell
And spit their accusations
With salt-sting threats of Hell.’
A dawn wind chilled my shoulder,
The spirit-bird had gone.
The sea erased my footprints
And rolled sublimely on.
3.11.88