Monday, September 10, 2012

RETIREMENT OF AN EXPLORER



It was quite a thing to be home,
where all was made to brace
against the gale; except his canvas
mind, that strained the anchor, and
breath that turned to water on the pane.

He had written books that tried to mirror
oceans; black ink could never
catch the monstrous deep. His maps
were celebrated, in safe places,
he saw the lines as nothing but deceit.

His body felt the gravitas of years
where he had once been lean and quick
to flight; the oyster world, that slid
into his soul; now deep discomfort
through his lonely nights.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Rob,

    Great to have you back.
    Another excellent poem, in a minor key.
    Another lonely character.
    Had this one been germinating for a while?

    Cheers,

    Dave

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  2. Thanks Dave. This one's a re-worked, stripped down version of an earlier poem with the same title. I'm drawn to the relationship between cumulative experience and solitude and the end result not quite fitting together. I suspect I'll write more along those lines as time goes by.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A stripped back remix.
    Rob D unplugged!
    I can see you working that experience/solitude theme.
    keep up the good work.

    Dave

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