Tilted to Red

(Someone’s misfortune)

it’s not until the tide
sweeps in at the break of day
salt water rising
that reality hits home
you are sunk
in the harbour basin
well and truly
as most of your cabin roof
is submerged beneath sea slime
and your once proud mast
is no longer upright
but tilted port side
waiting to drown
in misery

Author's Note

Starboard is green
port side is red

Reviews

[Kane Hagwood]

Feels like a common theme for 2023 in general. Taking care of something (like a boat), cleaning it, caring for it. Then the tides come, with their waves claiming what we worked so hard on. That's how I read this, anyway. Here's hoping this wasn't based on an actual experience, because yikes, that would be an expensive repair job, assuming the ship itself isn't scrap by that point. But at the very least, thanks for writing this poem.

[Kaylor Mason]

As the old saying goes, the happiest times in a boat owner's life are the day he buys his boat, and the day he sells it--all other days the boat is a hole in the water that he throws his money into. I love sailing--went to sailing school in Annapolis for my high school graduation. I would love to live on a boat. Go down and explore the tropics maybe. :)

[Chris Shaw]

It sure is an expensive hobby:) I love boating in summer. Winter though, that’s a different story. Thank you Kaylor. I appreciate your visit.

Chris

[Andrew John]

Sorry sight, so beautifully expressed.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Andrew. It was indeed a sad sight to see. A once beautiful boat almost submerged. I appreciate your visit.

Chris

Chris

[Stu. T.H.]

Ah, the nights when masses are drunk and tides are moved, sea roars and stars are dimly lit are what come to my mind upon reading it. The sight of human drunkness in sorrows is a pitiful sight, but truly it adds much to my amusement to read about it, not in any awful manner but it just reminds me of my own experiences, yes. Such is the quite the beauty of the wright.
Ah ~ your work had me smelling the stench of clamps, drying fishes and salty sea water as well as human misery from here, in my neat room. Such is, reminiscing to say, intriguing work you made, author Chris Shaw. Again, you triggered some old sentiments in me for the better.

[Chris Shaw]

Your interpretation of my poem I found really interesting. Thank you so much for sharing.
read moreYour interpretation of my poem I found really interesting. Thank you so much for sharing.

Chris

[Vol]

Chris,
Thanks for the color explanation... You remind me of the time in Pensacola when we took a ride to a shipwrecked tugboat deep in a bayou. It, too, was tilted to red, and when I walked inside I got so seasick from the distorted perspective of misdirected angles, I turned green and almost drowned in misery.
Vol

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you for your share Vol. I appreciate you stopping by. Have a good day.

Chris

[W. Barrett Munn]

This is clever as it could be from the perspective of a sunk boat or as allegory.

Winston

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Winston for stopping by.

Chris

[AYVID N]

I never owned a boat yet I could visualize the despondency vividly here. The emotions that ran through me were familiar. For example, it reminded me of waking up to a profound loss, in my own life. Like the early morning call from the duty doctor that my dad had breathed his last. All I could think of was the sinking of a ship that had held us all so grandly and comfortably. Or the news of my sisters demise and the chaos she left us with, to clear for generations. The waters really submerged us then. Kudos Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you dear DIVYA. If that had been our boat, we would have been in a state of mourning. So sad to see it keeled over to one side. Of course losing a loved one is devastating, but losing something very much loved is also a significant loss. I appreciate your thoughts here and sharing the loss of your beloved Father and your sister on my page. May they continue to RIP.

Chris

[Masked writer]

Wow, chris I love this

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Masked writer. I appreciate you stopping by. Have a good Wednesday.

Chris

[Masked writer]

You as well.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

Chris I love this
It’s also a metaphor I see to human life our success aging etc
Wonderful write
Stay safe in the floods where are you again ?

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Julie. We live in the south east of England. So pleased you enjoyed this poem and it spoke to you. All the best.

Chris

[Akinlolu]

The reality of existence is that all things have an end. The once impressive boat that is now derelict, the once brilliant prof who is now a victim of Alzheimer's, the once thriving settlement that is almost a ghost town now. These are only a few examples but they depict reality. Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy whatever you are privileged to have while it lasts. I love the poem.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Akinlolu for sharing with me your thoughts. Delighted that you enjoyed the read. Have a peaceful and productive Wednesday.

Chris