Mermaid cast upon the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artist: Frank Hopper.  This piece is entitled "Red Tide" and it has been copywrited by the artist.  Permission to use this inspiring piece of art with my poem is currently being sought from the artist.  The current image was obtained from tinypic.com at http://i51.tinypic.com/2rc6gp3.jpg. TinyPic® is a Photobucket Video & Photo Sharing Company.

 

 

Mermaid cast upon the beach

 

     “…tragedy in the wake of the storm…”

 

 

Most cruel and horrid storm

What damage have you wrought?

You raged the night and from the sea you tossed

The fairest form that e’er my eye did see

You’d think that God himself would cry

And spare this maid--grant bles'sed clemency!

 

Not common lot of fish

Should this fair maid abide!

Oh sea, have you no sense of shame or pride?

This beaut'ous form lies lifeless on the beach

And so I pray--it's nature I beseech:

Undo this deed--undo this foul breach!

 

But oh, with tears I now do fully see

No hallowed spirit nor nature's sprite will heed my plea

This heinous crime will stand without respite--

No godly pow’r will grant just amnesty

So naught is left to do but sigh--

No heav’n above to quell my anguished cries

 

And so, fair maid, then this ' thy final resting place!

And oh, this deed, this bitter world’s disgrace

In briny grave I place thy cold remains

Thy spirit free now of all mortal chains

And 'bout thy grave shells of the sea I'll place--

And fragrant flow'rs make mantle for thy face

 

‘Tis all that I can do for thee, sad maid--

‘Twas most ill fortune to have seen thee fade

 

 

 

©2010 Richard Puetter

All rights reserved

 

 

Notes

 

A tribute to Frank Hopper's magical piece of art: "Red Tide".

Reviews

[Abby L.]

Ok I enjoyed your poem, I like the fact that it was based off something. The picture bothers me a lot. I do not like nudity, and I really don't enjoy art with nudity or sex of any kind. But that's just me.
Your poem is simply fantastic. I can truly feel the anguish, in the words. I love how the emotions rise and fall, and you display that well.
A lot of people don't write like this anymore and I miss it. Free-styling is in fashion.
I hope you continue to write more! Great job!
::Abby::

[Cocoacandy]

wow... amazing poem... rivaling the greats this poem is wonderful... i love this... good work, keep it up!
*cocoabean*

[Sydney Evans]

This is really incredible, (:
I love the ocean.. This poem is perfect.
Thank you for writing it.

[{A}shley {B}lack @-;-]

This poem really captivates all my emotions its such a strong wonderfully written piece the flow and structure of this poem work very well together the darkness also appeals to me as its my type of writing I must view more of your work well done

[Brianna Brie]

Oh sea, have you no sense of shame or pride?

I absolutely love this line. This makes for an awesome read! Very creative.

[YouoweYoupay]

*GASP* NOOO OCEANSTORM WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! *sniff*

First of all, your title and beautiful, seductive picture of the delicate maid attracted me. I LOVE mermaids, and a part deep within me believes such creatures exist, just not likely in the sight of man. (they're probably smart, I always assume, to leave us wondering wether they do or do not exist, so that they could live in discreetion, far from man's destructive, sinful reach)

You have a unique way with words, my friend. You paint such beautiful images with carfully chosen, yet smooth vocabs. The emotions in in the poem are strong and heartbreking. I lovd it. Thank you so much for posting this.

-Wella.

[Gandré]

Nicely flowing - liked this poem a lot!

[goltinfron_nh]

An emotional piece that is deeply stirring. I like the tone and condemnation of nature for destroying such a beautiful piece of itself... and the reverence that man has for such beauty, and the soulful wrongness of such a tragedy.

[emmajoy]

There's such a sadness to this beautiful poem; the death of the beautiful mermaid in a place so foreign to her, ' Oh sea, have you no sense of shame or pride? '

Rick, you never fail to amaze me, you creep beneath the myths and tales of time and always find the correct metre or appropriate genre for everything you write. Hopper's painting and your words deserve to be together.

'And 'bout thy grave shells of the sea I'll place-- And fragrant flow'rs make mantle for thy face'

[Tate Morgan]

A beautiful thing so finely crafted as if it were akin to a Rembrandt . Perhaps an experience I was having rather reading about.Truly it is one of the best things i read here at the cafe,It reminds me in a way of some of the meanderings of a poet named Sara Teasedale.And I can only dream of being compared to the likes of her .The longing for the beauty shows us how fleeting it truly is the blossom of life

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

This is a beautiful homage to the art of Frank Hopper. The meter, the rhyme, the flow move gently so as to deliver the maiden to our hearts.

One small correction:

"And so I pray--it's nature I beseech:" s/b its nature (no apostrophe)