The Californian

For those unfamiliar with the story, the SS Californian was the ship which lay nearest to the Titanic when she was in distress.

We didn't know, how could we?

None of us knew her, why would she

go down like that, in a blaze of lights?

That wasn't her, it was one of those nights

Still, clear, and frozen, just unlike Time

Now just like her, the belle of the line

Like a giant iron heart, broken in two

spilling an inventory of all the 'who's who'.

We couldn't have known, why would we?

It shouldn't happen to us, how could she

cross our path as she did, in the moonlight?

Leave us screams in our dreams and our hindsight

If only this God of ours had shown us a sign

and helped us to see what we've now left behind

Not left us in darkness, to the nightmares we're due

of the debris, the life-belts, and a corpse's lost shoe.

We followed procedure, why shouldn't we?

The Captain was right, now where is she?

At the time he turned over and put out his light

Our radio man had turned-in for the night

We saw faraway rockets that shone as benign

and her stern-light drew-off through these glasses of mine

Rose-tinted, blind - what did we do?

Seems we waved her goodbye, but if only we knew.

Reviews

[Fran Marie]

If only this God of ours had shown us a sign
and helped us to see what we've now left behind
Not left us in darkness, to the nightmares we're due
of the debris, the life-belts, and a corpse's lost shoe

Oh wow, what a powerful detailed piece this truly is
the above verse is deeply gripping...i don't know how
you do it , each of your writings are worded so beautifully
and just get better and better filled with vivid imagery
it tugs at the readers soul~you my friend are a gifted writer!

[Ladysue]

This was awesome. What a message...that last stanza says a whole lot. Rose-tinted, blind- I love that line...Excellent work...

[Crowley]

You have a great inner eye, the one that sees things outside of who you are and what you do. You seem to more feel things than see them or merely describe them. This was haunting and beautiful. I love you man....if you were a woman I'd......

[Ruth]

"If only this God of ours had shown us a sign
and helped us to see what we've now left behind
Not left us in darkness, to the nightmares we're due
of the debris, the life-belts, and a corpse's lost shoe."...........Haunting lines my friend! Truly beautifully moving!
This is an interesting slant on the Titanic, a really good one:)

"The Captain was right, now where is she?"....I wonder exactly how many people lost their lives for nothing you know!

Devons, this is a wonderful poem love:)

xx

[The Analog Kid]

A really good flow and pausing sequence, so in that sense, this is set up perfectly. Interesting. I didn't know, or at least remember that about the SS Californian. I really like the middle stanza's lamenting tone with very effective imagery. Good luck in the contest!

[Abdul Aziz]

Once again, your sense of flow enthralls me. Your poems are always exhilarating to read. The wicked rhyme scheme makes this poem all the more interesting. I was talking to a friend about how perfect iambic tetrameter fits with the breath of the reader. Some poems make the readers pause for breath at appropriate junctures, which is crucial in giving the poem a vital thrust of energy, and your poems embody that magnificently.
Lines like
"If only this God of ours had shown us a sign
and helped us to see what we've now left behind" (uttered in despair, from the point of view of the narrator - I like the lines, though I need not necessarily agree with them)
and
"We followed procedure, why shouldn't we?
The Captain was right, now where is she?"
I believe, might just be hinting at something deeper.

Thank you for clarifying what the poem means. I guess that just means that I appreciate even more now, and it will take a heck of a good poem to beat this! This is another poem of yours that I have had the good fortune of reading, and appreciating. And it is going in to my favorites. Great job!

[Gomer LePoet]

Not near the exposure as the big "T" but I'm sure Mr. Morgan was not a happy man when the frozen ice claimed this prize. Nice piece of an obscure drowning at sea. Good job D.