You're Upset

 

 

 

 

 

You're Upset?

 

 

Because winds never swayed

In the direction

That your ships desired

 

And all other flags

Have burned and blackened

With no trace of fire

 

Rise from your sulking

And spoon with your short fingers

Beneath the roots of this coast

Where fathers of fathers of their fathers

Had fitted with uneven sheets

Of soil, stones, and eerie city ruins

 

Such a large slice of a large cake,

But don't hold your breath,

 

Not quite eatable,

Yet soon to be scaled, dreaded

And nourished with death…

 

Tilt the ocean with the edge of your palms,

And don't waver, I know you're polite.

Drink the calm, grief and delight

All soaked before the times

Of Adam and his madam

 

Drink all the emerald green and azure blue

You won't feel the unpleasant aftertaste

Of jellyfish, urchins, and electric eels too

 

Nor will you choke

On turning blue whales

Or sea turtles

Or monster squids

Or the Titanic

 

Drink every whirlpool and hurricane

And don't be concerned

With salt, sand or the rumbling screams

You might have heard

Of mermaids, demons or drowned sailor dreams.

 

Drink and let me know

How it feels to have a hole

In your stomach

And in your washroom's sink

And a hundred more oceans

For Your Highness to drink…

 

Author's Note

*Drink the sea (or seawater) is an old Arabic expression and a response to someone's confession of being upset or angry with you. This expression is very similar to saying: I don't care if you're not happy, and even if you drink the entire sea to show me how upset you are.

Reviews

[Olufix]

Wonderful piece.

Wonderful figure of speech used here - "Where fathers of fathers of their fathers".

Keep up the great work!

[Jacquelene Vanessa More..]

beautiful imagery, carefully written and I adore each word chosen

[Dominique Lambright]

Very great imagery. This was very interesting and i learned something new. I never heard of that saying before but it makes a lot of sense. Good piece :)

[Daniel Sala]

Nice imagery in the poem, from the author's note above a bit "heels dug in", like both sides are angry, not just one... Nice lines, like: "Drink and let me know How it feels to have a hole In your stomach", or "And all other flags Have burned and blackened With no trace of fire". Great work.

[Eli Hughes]

this is fantastic. Love it.

[Bob Sherunkle]

What a picture this painted in my mind.Incredible

[K. J. Corbin]

I find this comically gorgeous!

[Whitewolves55]

Beautiful piece I can feel the emotion coming from this, and thank you for putting that info in the author's note.

[Neon]

First off, thanks for making it clear about the theme writing in your author's note. Yeah .. now after read your author's note .. the poem made much sense to me and now i'd say it's a very deep and a well mannered poem that's well written into the deepest words. Nice work! Keep on!

[Percy Dludlu]

Well written I like your style and manner in which you put your words in.