|
Menu
|
|
|
Social
|
|
|
|
Array
(
[sid] => 70754
[catid] => 1
[aid] => mick
[title] => A Sailor's Prayer
[time] => 2004-11-09 09:37:06
[hometext] =>
[bodytext] => A sailor stands on the bow of his ship,
the wind, accelerated,
by her passage, cutting deeply,
pushes against his slender frame,
momentarily, interrupting his thoughts,
as he balances, to counter the force,
raising his eyes, witness,
the stars shine intensely,
on this, blackest of nights,
flicker, producing a sight,
breath taking in its magnificence,
he sees none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision in his thoughts
A sailor stands on the shore,
looking toward the horizon, far and wide,
a gentle breeze is created by waves,
as they splash against, white sugary sand,
mussing his hair, raising locks, into the air,
to resemble the crest of a cockatoo,
staring intently into the depth,
crabs, scurry along the bottom,
a dolphin leaps, exhilarated at first light,
a passerby, pauses, delights at the sight,
he sees none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision in his thoughts
A sailor lays in a mud slick hole,
looking ahead, at the top of a small hill,
the air is stiff, unmoving,
stifling, after midday thunderstorms,
providing no comfort, to wet, cramped limbs,
staring intently at the hill,
a plane, comes from nowhere,
strafing along its base,
shouts of pain reverberate,
throughout the narrow valley,
soldiers, silently cheer at their demise,
showing no remorse as they die,
he sees none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision in his thoughts
A sailor affectionately guides his ship,
higher through clouds, to crystal blue sky,
gives her lead, stretches,
looks at the curve of the earth,
far below an eagle soars,
towns, of various size, pass quickly,
commercial aircraft, on scheduled route,
appear to stand still, in the wake of his crafts,
incredible speed,
he sees none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision in his thoughts
Eyes wide open, countless times a day,
related not to time, or circumstance,
sailors performing daily tasks,
seconds to minutes every day,
see only the vision in their thoughts,
as they pray
A retired sailor sits at his computer,
staring at a cursor blinking, constant,
annoying, a reminder, of passing time,
the television, plays in the background,
his wife, prepares dinner, producing the usual,
sounds and smells,
a cat lies quietly upon his lap, purring contentedly,
he pays attention to none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision of his thoughts,
as he prays
Lord, here my prayer,
send your angels,
to guard well, we sailors,
serving in your fleet,
protect us from harm or defeat,
give us guidance and wisdom,
to pursue diplomacy, instead of war,
peace, instead of hatred,
life, over death,
when I die, permit me to appear first,
at your gate,
allow the devil, to think, I'm late,
and, before he realizes his mistake,
grant me entrance, and assign me to serve,
life eternal, in your heavenly fleet
Mac
November 2004
[comments] => 2
[counter] => 200
[topic] => 28
[informant] => macmcgovern
[notes] =>
[ihome] => 0
[alanguage] => english
[acomm] => 0
[haspoll] => 0
[pollID] => 0
[score] => 5
[ratings] => 1
[editpoem] => 1
[associated] =>
[topicname] => Patriotic
)
A Sailor's Prayer
Contributed by
macmcgovern
on
Tuesday, 9th November 2004 @ 09:37:06 AM in AEST
Topic:
Patriotic
|
A sailor stands on the bow of his ship,
the wind, accelerated,
by her passage, cutting deeply,
pushes against his slender frame,
momentarily, interrupting his thoughts,
as he balances, to counter the force,
raising his eyes, witness,
the stars shine intensely,
on this, blackest of nights,
flicker, producing a sight,
breath taking in its magnificence,
he sees none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision in his thoughts
A sailor stands on the shore,
looking toward the horizon, far and wide,
a gentle breeze is created by waves,
as they splash against, white sugary sand,
mussing his hair, raising locks, into the air,
to resemble the crest of a cockatoo,
staring intently into the depth,
crabs, scurry along the bottom,
a dolphin leaps, exhilarated at first light,
a passerby, pauses, delights at the sight,
he sees none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision in his thoughts
A sailor lays in a mud slick hole,
looking ahead, at the top of a small hill,
the air is stiff, unmoving,
stifling, after midday thunderstorms,
providing no comfort, to wet, cramped limbs,
staring intently at the hill,
a plane, comes from nowhere,
strafing along its base,
shouts of pain reverberate,
throughout the narrow valley,
soldiers, silently cheer at their demise,
showing no remorse as they die,
he sees none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision in his thoughts
A sailor affectionately guides his ship,
higher through clouds, to crystal blue sky,
gives her lead, stretches,
looks at the curve of the earth,
far below an eagle soars,
towns, of various size, pass quickly,
commercial aircraft, on scheduled route,
appear to stand still, in the wake of his crafts,
incredible speed,
he sees none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision in his thoughts
Eyes wide open, countless times a day,
related not to time, or circumstance,
sailors performing daily tasks,
seconds to minutes every day,
see only the vision in their thoughts,
as they pray
A retired sailor sits at his computer,
staring at a cursor blinking, constant,
annoying, a reminder, of passing time,
the television, plays in the background,
his wife, prepares dinner, producing the usual,
sounds and smells,
a cat lies quietly upon his lap, purring contentedly,
he pays attention to none of this,
eyes wide open,
sees only the vision of his thoughts,
as he prays
Lord, here my prayer,
send your angels,
to guard well, we sailors,
serving in your fleet,
protect us from harm or defeat,
give us guidance and wisdom,
to pursue diplomacy, instead of war,
peace, instead of hatred,
life, over death,
when I die, permit me to appear first,
at your gate,
allow the devil, to think, I'm late,
and, before he realizes his mistake,
grant me entrance, and assign me to serve,
life eternal, in your heavenly fleet
Mac
November 2004
Copyright ©
macmcgovern
... [
2004-11-09 09:37:06] (Date/Time posted on
site)
Advertisments:
|
|
|
|
|
Sorry, comments are no longer allowed for anonymous, please register for a free membership to access this feature and more
|
|
All comments are owned by the poster. Your Poetry
Dot Com is not responsible for the content of any
comment. That said, if you find an offensive comment, please
contact via the FeedBack Form with details, including poem title
etc.
|
|
|
Re: A Sailor's Prayer
(User Rating: 1 ) by Kie on
Tuesday, 9th November 2004 @ 10:58:34 AM AEST (User
Info | Send
a Message)
|
It is an honor to read a poem this exquisite.
I can't praise it high enough or express to you how high I found the quality.
I don't think i've ever read anything like it and I am literally blown away with your talent.
5* and beyond....
Kie |
|
|
Re: A Sailor's Prayer
(User Rating: 1 ) by Stoney1 on
Friday, 3rd December 2004 @ 10:55:51 AM AEST (User
Info | Send
a Message)
|
The only time I ever stood at the bow while we were underway was when I was assigned as fog lookout during my watch.
It's cold, windy, and you can't see more then 4 ft in front of your nose, not to mention that you feel as if all the eyes on the bridge are staring at you alone.
The only thing I ever prayed for while standing out there was that I didn't get smacked in the puss by a drifting *****hawk (sea gull). They tend to drop down closer to the ocean for a reference point in heavy fog.
I'd worry that we were going to plough into one and I'd end up wearing a bill in the eye.
All too prosaic, eh?
Stoney
|
|
|
|