Books

Where your heart becomes a cannon spit iron on the whale Follow him through perdition's flame then live to tell the tale

 

There is no ship quite like a book

it wanders as it may

Then takes us out amongst the waves

where gods and children play

 

To places far and wide we trek

chase hell's whale 'long the pole

Crest waves with Ahab na'er the cape

where gods may claim your soul

 

There your heart becomes a cannon

spit iron on the whale

Follow him through perdition's flame

and live to tell the tale

 

As the oarsmen all stagger back

cross themselves o’re the job

No hope to see another day

forlorn begin to sob

 

Imaginations running wild

wicked cruelty sublime
Chase your whale till you catch his tail

or till the end of time

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Author's Note

Books are the windows to the world. But more than that they traverse time itself. As they take you to Melviles time of Moby Dick. They inspire. More than that they create the world of imagination. For Ahab the White Whale was nothing to be so idealised, rather it was "...all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby-Dick. He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it."
Thank You Allen Eddings for that rendition of the classic tale

Reviews

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

Very well said! I work with children and I tell them a book can be your friend not to mistreat them!

[littlelilypurplebride]

not one of my favorite stories moby dick but i do love the old classical story books like this you made it jump off the pages my friend you brought these words to life and painted the words with your paint brush and you seem to have adventure screaming from the words that bleeds from the tip of the ink of your pen and i love adventure. BRAVO god bless lily

[Geralyn Miller]

How can I not love a poem about the love of my life--Books.. Books make the reade a citizen of the world, they enable you to explore the past and experience the future. Books are a gift we give ourselves.

[Charles]

A really good poem, Tate. Everything a poem should be and done in a fashion that recalls some of the great writings, including Moby Dick, :-)

[emmajoy]

That penultimate line made me whoop cos it's like telling folk to chase what you want and win! (Probably wrong with that thought, but there you go!)

Great poem, fine meter, tells a wonderful story and yes, yes .. books are THE thing. 'Can't bear the thought of not having a book with real pages nearby; there's every kind of adventure there, whether fiction or fact .. a woven story is like wandering in a garden, facts are like picking ripe fruit off tall trees - we have to have both to survive. And, your poem says just that and in your usual superb style.

Thank you for sharing, Tate.

[clauds294]

Moby Dick came to mind lol and I just saw your note. But that's not the only book that comes to mind. For a person that loves books I can relate very well to this write. You did a marvelous job. Continue writing and sharing.

[Fegger]

Love the metaphoric play, Tate!

...a couple minor suggestions:
make 'hells' possessive--'hell's whale'; "...'round the cape..." rather than 'round' which connotes shape rather than navigation. Lastly, consider using 'Crest(ing) waves...' vs. 'Ride'..

Great stuff, amigo!

[Zeek4]

I like the salty sea faring flavor of this poem, and its connection with the vessel called books.

[Cherrie Palmer]

I love the opening of this, it is a simple yet profound statement, I enjoyed each line, and I agree it is the window to our imagination.