Colors Of The Sea

Short poem

Standing on the golden shore at dawn,
taking in the pastel painted sky;
through white foam coated waves, my mind is drawn,
to where a red-tailed fish goes zipping by.

A gray shark giving chase seems quite a beast.
Green grasses dance the currents of its wake.
And turquoise turtles look up from their feast
while toward a reef, that swift fish, makes its break.

That rainbow mound of corals, sponge and chance,
where pinks and purples mingle with the rest;
a haven in that deepest blue expanse,
where life can quickly end for those at rest.

I see a zebra seahorse blending in.
It's eyes catch a beige blowfish puff berserk
as green eyes of an eel burst from its den;
and thwarted, it shrinks back to its dark lurk.  

A clownfish with its orange white display
joins family for their good daily fun.
That crowd explodes and they all dart away
as silver barracudas make their run.

And down among the bones of the sea bed,
one rock seems out of place as colors shift
from brown to yellow, orange, green, and red.
It disappears in ink, it's parting gift.

Now with the reef behind, Im looking straight
ahead at that big blue unbroken void;
and Feeling like a tiny piece of bait
I venture out so I might be enjoyed.

Clear jellies seem electric, but don't sting
from distances where I would choose my course,
but red does fade to pink while frenzied teeth
tear into nearby meals with so much force

I swim up past the schools that cut and weave
like flocks of black that cruise blue skies back home
and as my beating heart begs me to leave,
I find the air beneath that clouded dome.

Author's Note

Please let me know what you think.

Reviews

[andrew mitchell]

With all these images so well displayed You should be called Sir Nemo!

[mattavelli]

Thanks, Andrew. I had fun writing it. :)

[....................]

As someone who has spent a number of years SCUBA diving, I enjoyed this very much. I love the vivid images you paint...you have such a great eye for detail. Well-done, my friend!

[mattavelli]

Thanks, FT. This one was all about the imagery.

[dan]

matt, Going back to when I was a kid, I've often been fascinated with TV that showed undersea pictures and video. When I was a kid it was Jacques Cousteau, now Discovery Channel or Animal Planet. The vivid imagery used in this piece, along with accurate descriptions of the life down there, took me far away to those exotic locales and let me revel in those sights again. And I thank you for that! Very nicely done. take care...dan

[mattavelli]

Thanks, Dan. I've had a National Geographic subscription for the past twenty years. there are amazing things in the ocean.

[Cherry Pepperweb]

It's wasn't 'short' but so worth the read.
What a beautiful and enchanting adventure. I loved this so much.
You have a wonderful imagination!

[mattavelli]

Hello, "insert name". Thank you so much for the wonderful review. You've really cheered up my "insert time of day". -Matt 

[Cherry Pepperweb]

You're welcome. (Insert middle finger)

[mattavelli]

Ok, you win. :)

[Cherry Pepperweb]

That was too easy! :)