Shanty's

[eclipse]

Death is rowing, roving, ready with an open

bottle to claim this ship as it slouches into

port avoiding his grip. Inside a tavern

sewing with eyes closed her singing echoes through

thin windows, death bottles a deaf child's song,

her mariner Father arrives with gifts, rings

of silver she accepts, refusing gold. Amongst

offerings are ear rings of the moon hung

hastily on the ears of a dear daughter.

The Father is silent unlike the sea,

he returns to the waters, she utters

a melody into a shell and death slyly

waits for a ship he is lured by shanty's

from a shell, her silver tears tumble.

[tonyv]

Sewing with eyes closed ... haunting. I loved the variety of symbolism. There's the ship in the bottle, the acceptance of silver and refusal of gold, moon earrings, father/daughter and the more abstract "death." All of it's a curious maritime/witchy blend. Loved death/deaf, too.

 

Nice work, Barry. You regularly put forth fresh stuff. This one's one of your more intriguing poems.

 

Tony

[David W. Parsley]

Barry, I second Tony's comments. The activities of Death in the poem provoke a response mixing alarm and fascination. I lose the thread of action in the closing lines but am still drawn back.

 

- Dave

[badger11]

sewing with eyes closed

 

 

I agree with Tony there.

[douglas]

surreal, beautiful and sinister - really good!

[Tinker]

Hi Barry this is provocative. And yes as the others I was struck by "sewing with eyes closed", what a great phrase it almost jumps out of the poem. Nice.

 

~~Tink