Thursday, March 27, 2014

A king ....and his queen..a study..or how he lives in two worlds..














He's been to the most bottom of the sea
where long interred treasures have swept away
where seething green-grey dinosaurs once trekked,
where mermaids wearing wreaths demur to go
No pewter nets to tie him down captive,
or to liberate from captivity
Aquamarine undercurrents pound him   
He often sees things others do not; it's
not as enjoyable as one might think
His sensitivity colors his days;
like a memory of an early love
Colors fade at brink of evening light
But in a billion platinum years
we will all be forgotten anyway

                                                                            
Up there, too busy are they with their horns
of plenty, made of plums and mascarpone
An alternative would be to be lured,
caught on an invisible fishing line,
a certain final dead end of dove grey
Better alive and touring the country,
as if on vacation in Tuscany,
where faint sun rays filter from adobe
reflections miles above; visit the old
ships sepia museums, the year-round
global fish aquarium,  swim freely
 without red and yellow traffic signals
Grin if you like, but hold tight to your mask
                                                                                                                               
Not a perfect place, but  serves it's purpose,
protection of his pained alter ego
allows him to swim in his privacy,
suffer in his extreme desperation
So pray for him who is alone, for when
he has spent all his air,  he surfaces                                                                                    
Wishing on a fishing bone brings him back
safely to sea level, drifting upward
Landing on a hidden, white sandy beach
he makes a bed of chestnut leaves and bark
Under a pale blue moon he is content
to look at stars in a blackberry sky;
coconuts quench his thirst; in the distance,
an occasional cruise ship passes by

Anytime he can return diving deep,
plunging into murky falcon brown silt
Minimal, invisible oxygen,
allows him to swim brief hours of time,
Imagine, a man's inability
to relate because he is different,
with plaid chemicals streaming through his brain
He's a good man when you get to know him -
he's someone you know, your neighbor, a friend,
a family member down on his luck
He's King Neptune on his fawn toadstool throne
Salacia is his radiant queen
at his side aboard a glacial white wave
Legend has it he's our ailing brother
traveling life's road in baby breath's time


   We are writing blank verse today at dversepoets.com -  poetry that doesn't rhyme.  Writing poetry is not simply a matter of how a piece looks on the page or it's rhyming; it is about how it sounds and beats, as in music; the basis of how a poem sounds is found in its rhythm(s).  I tried for iambic pentameter and wrote a blank verse of man's struggle with living on the edge which is open to individual interpretation....

19 comments:

  1. that is an interesting write.. interesting images as well...the horns of plums and mascarpone...ha... yeah...think i know him... isolation well captured here katy

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  2. where do dreams go that remain just beyond our reach.... if we had touched them, would they have saved us ?

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  3. Thanks for an interesting view of life on the edge ... of what? So often, it's these people we don't notice, their stories that are never told or listened to ...

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  4. what do we really know of those people around us....or their lives and how they feel at their place in it...you paint him quite regal (like neptune) and yet give him such a sense of pain...and isolation....

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  5. There is a part of him in all of us...just for some the pull is stronger and breathing is a luxury. There is a lot of interesting visuals in this and it flows quite nicely throughout.

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  6. Yes, I think we all know him if we really look around. Quite a portrait here, Katy. I will look around more caringly today for those who can swim only for a few hours at a time!

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  7. Kind eyes, open heart, helping hands--these are the things I am reminded to remember after reading your excellent blank verse, colorful, ocean current rhythms, fresh imagery; good intense effort rocking the prompt.

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    1. Thank you Glenn for letting me know how this reminded you of certain important things. Glad you got my drift.

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  8. This is quite a spin on King Neptune ~ I can imagine his different life from your words, very imaginative take Katy ~

    I specially like this part:

    Under a pale blue moon he is content
    to look at stars in a blackberry sky;
    coconuts quench his thirst; in the distance,
    an occasional cruise ship passes by

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    1. Thanks Grace...but I see a rhyme I overlooked ;)

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  9. This is a great read and I like the underwater view :)

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  10. He's a man certainly out of his element. Very beautifully written!

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  11. Beautiful imagery and a tale well told. I'd love to enjoy that vacation in Tuscany but for now, I must satisfy myself with imagination. Your sea views draw us into other worlds. Wonderful.

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  12. Blackberry sky - tuscan sun - diving deep - hidden beaches - I could almost touch the world you paint. The vividness and out-of-reach realism drew me in. I didn't think about your rhythms, they must have been as natural as breathing because I slid into the world you wrote and took my comfort there. Beautiful.

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  13. The plaid chemicals stand out to me. I love this write of someone who doesn't belong entirely no matter where he goes. I think you're right: I think I might know him. Thank you.

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  14. I really love all the inclusion of color here.. to be king Neptune under the seas gives a great allure through your words.. I want gills

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  15. Two sets of lines stood out and grabbed me, and to me, summed up this business called living: (1) "But in a billion platinum years we will all be forgotten anyway;" and, (2) "Grin if you like, but hold tight to your mask

    Not a perfect place, but serves it's purpose,
    protection of his pained alter ego
    allows him to swim in his privacy."

    All the monuments to life people build for themselves (happy or sad) will, in the end, be gone from and forgotten in this world. On the other hand, everyone does keep some or most cards to himself to avoid pain and vulnerability.

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  16. blackberry sky captured my heart. lovely imagery!

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  17. Katy, imagery, colour are prominent. Lovely intonation and I was carried into the deep. Beautiful.

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All comments, constructive and otherwise, are welcome and appreciated here. Thank you to those who show an interest in my quirky style of writing, photography, painting, and presenting a feeling or thought and for stopping by A Dwelling by the Sea..