Set the Sea

Waves sway and strut, rolling

endlessly towards me, painting

my mind with awe- but oh Sea,

I long to escape the beauty of

your currents sway, to forget

the turquoise shade of shallow

shores, be unable to recall the

vivid hue that shines in the sky

as the world sends her light to

sleep; for while the Sea dreams,

my mind lies awake, staring at

the gait of glistening waves.

 

Salty Sea, why do my thoughts

drift with your flow? For I do not

know why when I gaze into your

meadows, the desire to gallop on

the unknown flutters fiercely

within me. My stunning Sea, if

only I were not consumed by the

beat of your song, then maybe I

could be soothed by the bland tune

of man. If my heart were to rise

from your bed, then I could embark

down the roads that lie ahead

paved far from your shores.

 

I wish I had no memory of the

Sea and the way that it gleams.

I want to have never admired

the passionate tango between

wave and wind. I want nothing

more then to be blind to these

streams shinning under a sky

tinted with the shimmer of the

sun, to not know of clouds shaded

with the bounce of birds’ wings

joyfully seeking the blossom

of spring, while I lie underneath, 

longing wildly to be free.

Reviews

[Emily B]

i love this feeling . . .

[Karli]

Speechless. That was...real, true poetry.

[Tracie D'Angelo]

Love it! It's almost like being mesmerized by the sea is stealing the moments that need to be lived in reality. Sometimes it's far too easy to escape into dreams and forget to live. Nice job!

[David Michael]

By the way, I was rereading this... because I quite like it... and I happened to notice a small mistake. On line 6 of the third stanza, you say (starting on line 5) "I want nothing / more then to be blind..." The "then" needs to be "than". Just happened to notice :)

[David Michael]

Wow, as others have said, breathtaking.

I've always liked poetry more like this - that has a flow to it, rather than line, line, line, each ending in a corny rhyme. I think the flow is central to this piece, and exquisite - it at once gives an illusion of calm, of the tranquil surface of lapping waves, and simultaneously a constant tugging at the reader, an ebb and flow belying the hidden unrest. Reading it really is like sitting in a boat on the sea as the waves rock beneath you - never really going anywhere important, but never ceasing motion.

I don't know if you know/like/have read Lord of the Rings (I specifically mean "have read", not "have watched" - you don't learn this in the movie), but reading this really made me think of Legolas' longing for the sea once he had heard its call - inescapable. Thank you for this probably unintentional reference to one of my favorite books!

[shoaib]

incredibly written .. truly love this piece :)

[Creepy Swine Guy]

This is why I keep prowling the halls of W/C. Because there are still writers here who chisel poetry with elegance. This is breathtaking. Every word with purpose and exacty where it belongs.

Stunning.

[V.B.]

Absolutely remarkable. It is my custom to pick a few lines that I loved from the poem I am reviewing, but this doesn't seem to be made up of lines so much as a wave that one starts to ride at word one, and which comes to a magnificent crash at its conclusion. You don't give the reader any chance to stop, and it makes for an awesome piece of work. Thanks for this.

[Ben Taylor]

I especially enjoyed the comparisons you made of the waves walking.
"the gait of glistening waves."
"Waves sway and strut,"
It's very well done :)

[Rossen]

Calling to the salty breeze with rich tone and clarity
this is calming to the soul like a walk to a waterfall