Ocean Souls

A tale of the ocean souls.

“Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, not breath nor motion.

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.”

-          Rime of an Ancient Mariner.

 

An old man stands with a cross hanging from his neck,

As the end of the horizon greets him with a smile.

Nowhere left to turn, he sets foot on the deck,

Unanchored ship; crewmen arrogant and guile.

 

“We set sail for the end of the world,” tells one,

As tranquil storms batters the ships woodwork.

“In search for rainbow’s treasure and the Eagle’s sun,

To find the Netherlands in the mountains of Cirque.”

 

“Where the moon cries for deal souls,

And the stars shower the world in dead dreams.

Not in search of gold or Dead Sea Scrolls,

But where the planetary curtain bursts at the seams.”

 

“You’re all fools,” the old man says, quick and steadfast,

A broken smile graces his pale lips.

“There is no end of the world, just endless seas so vast,

And rainbow waterfalls polluted in nature’s bliss.”

 

“But, as there is all but fire behind me,

I have no choice to join you on your quest of old.”

With seasons all same, they sail the Black Sea,

Off the edge of the world and into darkness; death beholds.

Racing the black sunrise over cold waters of blue,

The grey ship docks on the waterfalls seabed.

One last ride before death’s rendezvous,

To the symphony of sirens, their sea turned red.

The curse of an idle mind can infect any one of us,

While the imagination of dead poets paint the world with oceans of gold.

A sanatorium for philosophers where their tales turn to rust,

The tale of the men who went insane by the seas clock; The Ocean Souls.

Author's Note

Random scrawls at 2am. Not my best work. Inspired by "The Rime of an Ancient Mariner" by Samuel T. Coleridge and Nightwish's "The Islander".

Reviews

[Mercy Fae]

This is a very good piece. I'm familiar with the writing of Coleridge. I can see a few parallels between this and his writing. The rhyme scheme works well.

[SmittyJas]

Its very best of scribbles my friend enjoyed every bit of read I circled the world with seven seas great to tell a tale as long as this Good writings mate.

[Alexandra Hounschell]

Your writing is some of my favorite on this site. You always have such great imagery, the stories have a wondrous storyline, and they're always so interesting and fun to read. Thank you for sharing your work

[PhoenixDown]

Apologies. For turning your page into a battleground. You are a beautiful writer, with true skill. Your work is polished, unlike most. And I bet you could make beautiful, most any subject. Do not lose your passion and do not stop writing. You have created something grander than just a simple poem here. Thank you.

[richieb]

I felt like I was in a mystical land of endless voyages and nautical superstition. Searching and seeking, not always sure of the dangers and risk. Obedient to the allure and calling of the sea's. I enjoyed this poem. Richie B.

[Autonomous]

Nice, I liked the imagery in this work. It's not like I could see them but more like I felt the atmosphere of their presence, If such a thing makes sense. Anyway great piece.

[K. Harding]

Thank you for the feedback on the imagery, it is appreciated. I'm glad you could feel the atmosphere of the text.

[Hope Rose]

I love this. It really paints a vivid picture. Thanks :)

~Small Town Hick

[K. Harding]

Thank you - I'm glad you liked the imagery in the text.

[Hope Rose]

You're quite welcome

[andrew mitchell]

the imagery is just a masterpiece. i enjoyed the tale. thank you for sharing

[K. Harding]

Thank you for the feedback, it's appreciated! :)

[streetrose]

As always, an excellent piece of literature overall. The flow was a bit rough occasionally, due mostly to the use of too many words. I loved the text painting and details you included in this piece. I especially loved the word choice and variation in structure. A phenomenal work, thank you so much for sharing :)

[K. Harding]

Thank you - and I agree with the use of too many words, specifically at the end but this piece was written in about 20 minutes at 2am with barely any editing done due to a sudden burst of inspiration. I understand what you mean and I probably should have left it until today so I could edit it before posting but oh well. Thank you!

[Bacchus]

I hear throughout your different writing the fears of your mind to become void and the longing to be a part of this "painting the world with oceans of gold."
Keep painting and painting.

[K. Harding]

Thank you for the feedback - I will not comment on your theory of my fears as all good poetry is ambiguous so to say you are correct or incorrect would be to ruin the wonder. Thank you!