Neptunian Nomads

"Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.” ~ Lord Tennyson (in The Charge of the Light Brigade)

Part 1

The last rays of the lilac sky flushed

In tufts of brunet mare’s tail,

“Hark! My seamen hark!”

It’s time my men to take your oars,

Propel those fluttering sails!”

Gothic depths churned by Plutonian powers,

In multitudes, the troughs and crests escalate

And roused in a labyrinth of thousand waterways,

Do we cower in clammy cabins of the wooden barrel?

“Never captain! Never! ” The sons of Neptune whoop

“We will humble the ocean’s monstrous fray”

Our quaint homes vacant on pristine shores,

Our quest to devour the exotic unknowns

 Masqueraded in the globe’s galactic alleys,

Monsters of Loch Ness, or the deep sea chimeras,

We know no fear, nor cajoled are we

By the siren’s carnal hymns,

From Blackpool to Bali is our maiden’s sojourn,

The hem of her frothy trail chaperoned

By the bluejacket hearts cast in bronze.

Part 2

In silken veils of the after dark

Gleams the withered aurora of faraway minarets,

Mosaic tunes ringing in acrid air

Of mermaid wails and carillon dongs,

The drifting stares at the lands end

And tendrils of surf yank in crestfallen curls

Surmises of lost possessions.

Feathery murmurs of cocooned voice

In spiral motions of cognizance

Rumbles of the lofty days of folklore tales

Braided in granny’s Cornwall cottage

Her sumptuous meals of oyster soups

Tickles my wasted hunger,

Thrusting myself at the outskirts

Of my sailing entourage.

Alas! the vision’s grace is molded

On eroded shoals of England’s vanishing coastline,

I see my clouded clairvoyance

Escape in the Atlantic mirth.

Author's Note

Some days back I was watching Sandra Bullock’s The Blind Side and I remembered Tennyson’s poem from my sixth standard. For greater conquests in life, sacrifices are to be made and a life lived on the edges of travel, adventures and remote voyage is worth the risks that come with it. Few days back I was also having a discussion with my friend Tate Morgan about his traveling experiences :) This is the driving force of the poem. A captain’s word of thrill pushing his men to overcome all the adversities is what the fist part deals with. The Part 2 delves into the deeper crevices of his heart. It talks how wistfully he contemplates about his family. I intended to give it an Arabian Nights feel, but I don’t know how far I have managed to do that. This will be one of the last pieces I will write for a while. Next two months going to keep me busy in meeting my college projects deadlines :(

Reviews

[Shadows of Memories]

whenevr I read your poems it makes me feel like those I have read in books by great poets...u have such a stupendous flair in u wid ur bouquet of good & perfct words selection. It just made me to read ur poem more than once as it made me to sail thru the beauty of its vastness. I by hobby am a traveller and love to travel and do photography a lot...and dis poem is one of the best ones. I am amazed to find so many good works dis week here that it made me feel so upright u c.thanks for sharing.hugs

[Tate Morgan]

Oh so entranced was i at this.It speaks of the two things near my heart Adventure and adversity. What man doesn't want to know his limits? To enter the den of the dragon and reemerge a different more confident and wise soul.All men know this feeling the urge to wander and discover.And in by doing become something greater.Most of us set off at a young age for these adventures and see life itself as a adventure.I don't think I ever got over the need to see what was over the next hill.I suppose it was in having a child that i forced myself to limit the dangers I would encounter for his sake anyway.Our society doesnt lend itself well to the ideas of epic adventures.It tends to want to create worker Bees that can toil the factories and jobs of a corporation.Myself I always liked to walk the street whenever. I often would stop in an unfamiliar town to watch a young boy testing himself and his resolve in a game of baseball. Americans play that game in every town and city. I watch the fathers and sons bonding over thew effort that will define the boys as men in later years. It is in those little moments that a mans spirit is forged from the fires of life.

[sharrondark]

Very nice poems and a message. It makes me feel like I am in the peom and visualizing the setup. Very well spoken Aaron. :-)

[Robbie~xoxo~]

The journey you have taken me on is magnificent.. you have written a timeless piece and crafted an adventure to behold. It takes a talented writer to captivate the imagination and bring the reader to a place of Epic story telling. Great write, my friend!.. Aaran, You have done it again...perfection.

[Crystal Marie Dreier]

This is amazing! I loke it a lot. Aww Hope all goes well and will miss reading your work :(

[Amila Jay]

Wow! This is brilliant, a wonderful write:-)

[Empirik]

There's an elegance to this unseen in many poems of this nature today. It takes an astute vocabulary to understand the depth of the metaphors. I enjoyed the journey you describe as I too push the limits of my ability and psyche. In writing, extreme sports, art and love. It is a value I cherish. I would act much like the captain does in your piece, however being a personal write my articulation would be of a different view. That is what I love about poetry, when it is personal you can feel what you bring to what the author writes. Good job, dude!

[Raven Starhawk]

It has a vast amount of depth that carries me to another realm of artistic appreciation.

Beautiful beautiful, this is real literature to me. Every word, and sentence is captivated with true care, and a keen mind. Bravo.

[Lily Mae]

This is an absolute beauty..a journey taken through your words..x