The Titanic

In all her glory

Titanic set sail from Southampton

"Unsinkable”, they called her

The ship of dreams

 

The finest luxuries of all time

She offered comfort

And as well as speed

A sense of home

 

Magnificent, she was

And grandiose

Tall, she was

And strong and slender

 

Gliding upon aqua waves

Queen of all ships

She races into the night

Unaware of any danger

 

The sun is shining bright

The sky is wide and clear

No sign of the peril ahead

No sign of darkness

 

And then the air grows chilling

They’ve entered the icy realm

Of North Atlantic Ocean

Infamous for the ice and bitter cold

 

"Full speed ahead!” her captain called

In spite of the protests of the crew

"It is bitter cold!” they cried

"And the sea is full of perilous icebergs!”

 

But the captain persisted

They had a schedule to keep

They had to arrive in New York

On Tuesday, at least

 

At first the dark waters were smooth

And they passed unhindered

But little did they know not far ahead

Would be their demise

 

Warnings were issued

Messages were sent

But still Titanic charged ahead

Still, her captain persisted

 

Perhaps had they stopped

It would not have happened

Perhaps had they stopped

No lives would’ve been lost

 

It was 11:30 p. m.

And all was silent on deck

When suddenly a spike of shimmering white

Came tearing into view!

 

"Hard a’ starboard!” The first officer cried

But alas, it was too late!

Titanic sped toward the sword of ice

And in thirty seconds, hit!

 

The steel screeched and protested

As the iceberg tore at it

A 299 feet gash

Now across Titanic’s hull

 

At first it seemed just a scratch

"All is fine,” the captain said

But soon the terror settles in

Gnawing bitterly, bitterer than the cold

 

The watertight compartments have failed!

Six out of sixteen had flooded!

And now the crew began to see

The severity of this “small scratch”

 

"Lower the lifeboats,” some of them cried,

"Lower the lifeboats to the sea!”

And so they did, and in the dark night

Set the little boats adrift

 

"Women and children first!” they cried,

Fighting their way through the crowd

Searching for female and child passengers

Who were willing to be set in boats

 

Nineteen were set in the first lifeboat

Nineteen, although the boat could hold many

Nineteen, out of 2,223

Nineteen brave souls

 

They were lowered into the water

Set adrift on the deep, dark sea

Far from Titanic they drifted

Away from the site of disaster

 

Slowly, the lifeboats were cut loose

Filled with women and children

Sprinkled with some men

They floated across the sea

 

And then at last they were gone

The lifeboats have gone

Having been cut loose

Gone, leaving the rest behind

 

Music sounds from the deck

Quiet, religious music

Music played with desperation

Echoing in the night

 

The remaining passengers cried

They comforted each other

They asked for god’s mercy

They prayed for peace

 

Blessings were given

Bible verse were recited

All was quiet

The deep breath before the plunge

 

And then it happened

All hell broke loose

As the weight of the water

Pulled Titanic toward the embrace of the sea

 

Some screamed and some remained silent

Some let go of hope and some held on

All together they waited

Waited for the final moment

 

And then it happened

The weight of sea was to much

The hull snapped in half

Dividing the Titanic

 

They were thrown off

Or pulled toward the sea

As the remains of a once great ship

Sank beneath the dark waves

 

The sea was cold

A bitter chill that seemed to freeze

They flailed in the water

Desperate for warmth

 

It occurred within seconds

Death was almost peaceful

One by one they drifted to frozen sleep

A deep slumber from which they never woke

 

Titanic lay in half

At the bottom of the sea

A tragic monument

A watery cemetery

 

In all her glory

Titanic set sail from Southampton

"Unsinkable”, they called her

The ship of dreams

Author's Note

Written for the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic that occurred a few days ago. RIP victims of that maritime disaster.

Reviews

[rae52]

another really amazing poem it was really awesome

[Eric Cox]

Great job! Excellent imagery and nice impact to your telling of the story of the Titanic. Very nice poetic pen upon this.