"seabird" poems
gulls and terns spin in the air
as waves lullaby the sleepy dreamers
with grand tales and rich promise of paradise to be
found just over the horizons edge
sailors eye to the swift wind
sure hand to tackle and line
hearty men of salted liquid soil
grown to giants in the breakwaters thunder
but gentle that hands heart
when the tolling bell calls out the names of the lost
and the sea has swept away all but her witnessed tale
to leave the widows and forlorn child to
carve name to wall and mourn
past midnight now
a dead calm
and cloudless sky reigns
with a majesty of brilliant starlight
upon this sea reflecting the heavens slow march
i lay like a supplicant muted by the spectacle
to souls hunger this moment and place
shows a deeper meaning to thouse souls with eyes to see
a dead calm
and cloudless sky reigns
with a majesty of brilliant starlight
the old salt sailor breaks into deep song
that sooths and lends hardy meal to the heart
hold fast young lad hold fast
the morning rushing forward brings
the breaking wave and unfolds sail with quick wind
and the sailors eye rejoices with
merry songs to measure the hour
and jauntily bring our fair seabird
back to her warm home
sea and sand in the salt sailors blood
and a kind heart guides the way
Mar 23, 2014
Mar 23, 2014 at 2:10 PM UTC
sing a song for your lover
of honeyed milk and seabird cries.
say a prayer for your lover
and hope to god she’ll listen.
burn for your lover
in the fires of your own joy.
drown for your lover
in the waters of your own misery.
dance for your lover
til your bones shatter and your lips split.
bow for your lover
til your hips give out and the roses die.
you love like spiralling souls:
around and around again.
Mar 26, 2015
Mar 26, 2015 at 7:33 AM UTC
On the low-flung periphery of the salt marsh bay,
near the twisted beach, an eddy--
Sun low with the tide going up
where softly and under I lay.
For a pillow I was given
a yellow shell.
My ears were listening.
In its restlessness and reaching,
my tongue and its languages
felt lashed and closed.
I shall not leave
my waterworld.
But I must go,
ashore.
Hermit crab
raised itself up.
One silvery minnow played
across my open eyes.
Then, a cloud-blue sky
answered me
with a white seabird,
overhead circling.
So strange and beautiful,
this land of my dream I see--
in my amphibian way.
Oct 27, 2013
Oct 27, 2013 at 7:57 AM UTC
Aloft upon some distant shore
The seabird sets her wings to soar
The salt sea tang of crested breeze
Or howling gale of winters freeze,
Through oceans, mountainous or not
Or sea Sargasso flat and hot,
In dancing wavelets sparkling clear
Where hunted mackerel school in fear,
Where natives in their dugout boats
Caste out their nets and balsa floats,
That tiny bird will soar adrift
Negotiating each wind shift.
One wonders how a thing so small
Can fly against the wind at all;
But sweep she does and plunge and veer
In gracious symmetry to steer
Across the oceans vastness too,
To land right there, right next to you.
In squawking lightness, dancing swings
Sea bird alights ….and folds her wings.
Marshalg
Mangere Bridge
8th. December 2007
Feb 2, 2010
Feb 2, 2010 at 10:49 PM UTC
last night I nearly lived,
in dream so make believe,
such a turn of sunshine
and hope was always true,
could cast away my sorrow,
beyond the dream horizons,
i saw painted, dim lit boats,
shrinking blue into oceans,
skipping in longest tides,
only wings can take me
there, to the outter shores,
beyond the dream horizons,
i cannot fly, I then thought,
as the lone seabird sails,
as such an angelic thing,
but see the sky is an arc,
any wing can show you,
just lend an limb or eye,
across the sun waves,
are new lands to make,
before any moon rises,
the sky is clearly woven,
skerries and the frosted
banks are steeply melting,
a lone grey gull cries over,
seabird in soul ceremony,
solemn with climbing sun,
i cannot fly, I then thought,
as the lone seabird sails,
as such an angelic thing,
merely I am human now,
awake from dream horizons,
dead alive without wings.
Mar 22, 2016
Mar 22, 2016 at 3:46 AM UTC
I see an angel slouching,
In the sky, as if heaven
Were so heavy.
Seabird, where do you come
From? Is the earth too much,
To take all in?
I know how you feel sailing,
Above it all yet drawn too,
As I am drawn.
Wraith, I want to feel that place
You are winging from here,
As now, forgetting.
*But it's so hard to fly,
Unlike you, just easily,
I will close my blind eyes
And trail your mission starry.*
I will tread in air backwards,
Deep into sky heavens,
Sloughing all the way.
Jul 8, 2016
Jul 8, 2016 at 12:48 AM UTC
A little sea bird,
flying so high.
My little sea bird,
trying to reach the sky.
*I know i can do this,
I wont stop untill i reach it*
Farewell Bird said with one last kiss
The sky he climbed bit by bit.
My little sea bird,
Never seen again.
Finally reached it after the third...
In my soul he will remain.
Farewell bird slips my lips
as i see him fly off the worlds edge.
On a lunar eclips,
Standing on a clifs ledge.
Feb 4, 2011
Feb 4, 2011 at 1:00 PM UTC
If you'll be the sea cliff, then
I'll be the rollers--
breaking on your heart, oh!
ardent lover.
If you'll be my snow field, then
I'll be your Spring sun--
hot clouds of steam rising
when we are done.
Then I'll be your fog bank, if
you'll be my wetland--
secret caresses from
velvet-soft hands.
If you'll be my seabird, then
I'll be your night breeze--
lift you in ecstasy
over deep seas.
Then I'll be your night sky, all
swimming in moonlight--
lighting your way to my
heart here tonight.
Jan 27, 2011
Jan 27, 2011 at 7:14 PM UTC
Do you remember when we walked
into the sea
and on the sand ?
Do you remember
Liza with a Zee
as if she was here only yesterday?
And the people
in the ports of Amsterdam?
You loved them as I did,
As if they were flowers
someone had forgotten to water.
The moments with you
were the moments in my life
I could scarcely forget
even if I tried to shove them
into some dusty hideaway corner.
How many times have I remembered,
after forgetting for so long?
As the wind would blow and stop,
and blow again some day.
And do you remember
the seabird overhead,
trying to tell us
something about life.
With his voice full of anguish
and loneliness-longing …
flying high,
flying into realms of seagull joy.
Inviting us to join in heart
as we watch from far below.
Nov 5, 2014
Nov 5, 2014 at 2:36 PM UTC
Lone seabird in a late dawning,
Sickles the gray rays of the sun,
Here on a ridge I can see aways,
Skerries, blasted by seas parade.
The moon fades as sun is rising,
My hair is groped in wind on fire,
In the late morning suns' glowing,
My breath uncatched as the wave.
Lone seabird in old sky forlorning,
Searches for a proud fish breaking,
In the frosts of broke tides trawling,
My heart sails above gusts keening.
Oct 16, 2015
Oct 16, 2015 at 4:12 AM UTC
I am the broken wing,
The unsong unsung,
That the sky waits for,
In patient days untold,
The words unspoken
From the muted wren,
I am the shy seabird,
Unwinged, let, lamed,
Damaged by heavens,
Indifferent to earthlings,
When I saw lovely you,
Lone on purple heaths,
A bittern was mourning,
In the marshes within,
Me, my drowned heart,
Muffled in blasted wind.
Oct 29, 2015
Oct 29, 2015 at 12:59 AM UTC
I'll meet you
there,
at the
horizon,
when the
glowing
orange tip
of god's
pen writes
a sunset
on the
sea.
I'll be soaring free
a seabird
sunset fires
upon my wings.
I'll know you
by the colors
your imagination brings
let's fly awhile
together--
where the clouds
like angels
sing.
Jan 21, 2011
Jan 21, 2011 at 12:09 PM UTC
Little boats bob
Big boats glide
There's life in the mud
An ancient church
And a pub on the other side
Wild flowers bloom in the sun
Protected by the churchyard wall
Inside rows of box pews facing East
Well maintained at least
Oddly laying at the back
A sarcophagus carved in stone
No doubt a gardener
Would value as a planter
No one comes these days she says
Pouring water in the font
Flowers ready
Only people such as us
Satisfied we sacrifice a coin
Pop it in the slot
Walk back past the tower round
The congregation underground
Through the lilting seabird song to find
Ham egg and chips and a drink
Just to wet the lips
It's the Summer time
Jul 13, 2015
Jul 13, 2015 at 2:44 PM UTC
Urgency was in your expression
as we hid underneath the sofa
in the final moments
of the party,
before you gave me away
to the dogs
for supper.
Somehow, my great escape
led me right back
to you.
But my fingers didn’t fit
between your garden gloves,
and your distracted gaze was fixed
on the traffic lights
outside the misted window.
All I saw,
was our condensation
on the glass
through golden lamplight
and the yellow bookshelves.
Through the abandoned sidewalks
under cypress trees
and fluorescent street lights
into the dark grassland,
where you chased
my favorite seabird,
and I scolded you like a child;
you ran ahead, searching
for more excitement.
But time had other plans,
it froze itself in that moment
your face became my mirror,
and I carefully touched
your lips with mine.
You pulled away,
tried again, and our
noses met, like two
wild animals
agreeing with a ritual
to raise new life
together.
Mar 25, 2022
Mar 25, 2022 at 5:06 AM UTC
~~~
A gentle breeze was drifting soft
cooling sands
beside the sea
The shoreline cast with countless lore
a bounty
shared for free
An essence
smiled upon the wind
with pleasant times gone by
and spoke of treasured times he shared
as visions
blurred his eye
~
A tingle on his lonesome lips
a tear
mixed with a sigh
The cadence of a crashing wave
co-mingle
with a cry
The pangs of love grew stronger still
with every passing thought
They'd be together
soon
he promised
on a ship
that sails aloft
~
He slowly walked the tides of time
a cane gripped in his hand
The footprints ...
if you looked behind
showed more sets
in the sand
A loyal friend
stayed at his side
and ran
to fetch a stick
To fetch a smile from ones he loved
he'd do most any trick
~
At dawn's first light he met a boy
with fishing pole and bait
They reminisced
and spun some yarns
he talked about his fate
His heart was fading ...
borrowed time
he spoke of home with sacred grace
The boy had been there
many times
a gorgeous cliff above this place
~
His legs were failing
heart too frail
the boy packed up his gear
Arm in arm
they slowly climbed
a path to yesteryear
His little dog was first atop
a stick still clutched to play
The rising sun on golden dew
sent mist to greet the day
~
Near the edge
'neath shaded tree
they stopped to catch their breath
His finger traced its' trunk in trance
the boy and dog played fetch
The crash of surf
and seabird's song
were echoed through the years
The freshest air from heaven's sigh
inhaled ...
he shed his fears
~
A rolling mist rose up from sea
and hovered on the brink
A loving voice called out to him
... the boy knew not what to think ...
When fingers touched he stepped aboard
a ship of floating cloud
He turned and raised his hand
and smiled
"Please love our little dog"
~
The ship rose up on gentle breeze
they waved
it passed so frail
They'll be together always now
on a ship with heaven's sail
~
I was that boy so long ago
it seems like reverie
But if so ...
then where'd I get the dog
and whose initials are in this tree?
~~~
Feb 14, 2015
Feb 14, 2015 at 7:51 AM UTC
When I was a youth, I spied a bird,
She filled my field with song,
And sadly it was, my duties began
But we made a vow singin,'
Together again!
And a way'l we go, as I hurry the sea and—
She waits the land.
My true love I call a nightingale,
And I myself a lark,
Together we make, two turtledoves,
And we made a vow singin,'
Together again!
And a way'l we go, as I hurry the sea and—
She waits the land.
O come will the day, that my true will say,
When all my sporting is over,
'Do you remember the days, I waited the land,
And you hurried the sea?'
Now, the sea is my girl and I her man,
I hear a lovers lament,
An old seabird cries from the brighty main,
And I join with him singin,'
Together again!
O come will the day, that my true will say,
'My heart, you've been the world over!'
But until I rest free, I must hurry the sea and
She waits the land.
Jan 7, 2013
Jan 7, 2013 at 2:12 PM UTC
Well we jumped on the wing
for a good Irish fling
kicked off the week
with a boiler
The banter was high
as we took to the sky
nothing in sight
was a spoiler
And the red eye at night
was a captain’s delight
we spread on the seat
of the liner
Arrived just in time
for a whale of a time
at the Temple Bar
and Diner
Well the Dublin scene
in the Old College Green
was wired and alive
on the corner
Where me and me' mates
paired in at the gates
there were welcoming arms
to us foreigners
And we sang through the night
and grinned in delight
with banjos, pipes
and lasses
Drinking whiskey and beer
in a boatload of cheer
the rooster got lost
in the masses
The **** in the walk
was out on the stalk
a wee little flute
on display
His shoulders were pinned
with a great big grin
they were such
peculiar ways!
Well we found em next day
(in a sauntering way)
*got tossed in
all the commotion*
What happened to you?
said he hadn’t a clue
or any
baldy notion!
Hit the road to Howth
little east, little south
the seaside town
was groovin
Found the Cobblestone Pub
for a jar and a scrub
the seabird sounds
were soothin
Then we jumped a train
in the lashing rain
the Belfast craic
was mighty
Hit the Thirsty Goat
with a parching throat
some Tullamore Dew
for a nighty
In the Crumlin jail
the spirits set sail
the IRA
was gaffin
There was Bobby Sands
in celestial lands
alive and proud
and laughin
The Griffin dance
was the final chance
the evening closed
in nigh
And we made our way
through the Chelsea lanes
to say our
final good bye
~ ~ ~ ~
Singing
Ay, oh…let it all go
safe haven in the wasteland!
Singing
Slainte’…take me away
to the old Irish sounds
of the band!
Sep 23, 2021
Sep 23, 2021 at 11:41 AM UTC
Oh flightless seabird,
I think you are lovely.
Mouth unfed,
feathers untethered.
Sitting pretty on the creek,
friends and families tasting the blue.
No wind under your feet,
not yet.
They think fondly of you,
seabird.
That’s a choice they’re allowed to make.
The higher they fly, the further away you become.
The weakest love you,
pity turns to self love.
At least they can fly,
at least they’re not alone.
You know better,
my seabird.
I saw you,
and so I knew you.
Easy.
It is you and you alone who grins at lilac kisses,
melts the silver sparks.
Sour grass midnight and
rusted dawns alike agree that you see,
therefore you are.
Flightless seabird,
We’re looking back with glass eyes.
You are here,
and you are loved.
You are not alone.
Aug 3, 2020
Aug 3, 2020 at 1:39 PM UTC
The waves splash on expecting shores,
The proud seabird called out to his brothers,
And the wind as still as a ravens eye.
The day falls ,and gets back up as night.
Silent and slow the boat rocks to and fro.
There fate was sealed, as they slept away.
The sweet murmur began softly at first,
The wonderful serenade grew louder ,grew closer,
But when the morning rang again.
The boat was gone.
Feb 15, 2013
Feb 15, 2013 at 8:11 AM UTC
.
When I was a youth, I spied a bird,
She filled my field with song,
And sadly it was, my duties began
But we made a vow singin,'
Together again!
*And a way'l we go, as I hurry the sea and—
She waits the land.*
My true love I call a nightingale,
And I myself a lark,
Together we make, two turtledoves,
And we made a vow singin,'
Together again!
*And a way'l we go, as I hurry the sea and—
She waits the land.
O come will the day, that my true will say,
When all my sporting is over,
'Do you remember the days, I waited the land,
And you hurried the sea?'*
Now, the sea is my girl and I her man,
I hear a lovers lament,
An old seabird cries from the brighty main,
And I join with him singin,'
Together again!
*O come will the day, that my true will say,
'My heart, you've been the world over!'
But until I rest free, I must hurry the sea and
She waits the land.*
Aug 26, 2012
Aug 26, 2012 at 1:25 PM UTC
Seabird tracks in sand,
End where mine begin, as tides—
Make both disappear.
Aug 20, 2012
Aug 20, 2012 at 2:10 PM UTC
~
from the dock he calls her name,
now beside he grasps her rails,
deftly steps aboard her frame,
to loose her lines of mooring.
leaned o’er, he shares his secret hopes,
ocean breeze her mast is callling;
then wings are spread with hoisted ropes,
the call of ocean’s blue alluring.
he guides her through the shallow drafts,
gliding faster, hull and ballast,
like seabird’s cry on wing, her craft,
his touch responding in devotion.
she heels about now, lunging forward,
together ’cross the waves;
he, the author of this poetry,
keeps rhythm with each changing motion.
they float above the salty spray,
white sails, her wings, a swan of grace;
in fading light, ’cross waterway,
her highway now a full moon bright.
his bearing set for emerald isle,
she tacks to follow compass lines;
together tame the ocean’s wild,
in flight as one to form their rhymes.
from high atop her outstretched form,
he guides her body through the night;
shifting lines to feel the storm,
like bedsheets thrown, arched and open.
then far above this watery bed,
her canvas flows with watercolor,
of sapphire, jade and ruby red;
a sunrise o’er bejeweled ocean.
sailing on,
in stunning sight;
as one they sigh,
in heavenly flight.
~
*post script.
unwinding from the first work week of the new year and a chaotic Friday night commute, these out-of-the-blue, out-from-the-blue lines strike me as i hear strains of Chrstopher Cross crooning his 1980 classic, “Sailing”, from my dear wife's Pandora station, aptly named.
“Well, it's not far
down to paradise,
at least it's not for me.
And if the wind is right
you can sail away,
and find tranquility.
Oh, the canvas can do miracles,
just you wait and see.
Believe me.”
the song takes me back to a simpler time in our marriage, but sailing... this always takes me back, all the way to childhood, and a carefree state of mind. and no wonder... for in my pre-teen years, i and my brothers helped our father build a small, eighteen foot, sailing sloop, crafted after plans he found in a Family Circle magazine. thereafter, childhood summers were spent freshwater sailing at the foot of Fuji, sometimes alone, sometimes together. it is no surprise that today i am most at peace on or beside the water.*
Jan 7, 2017
Jan 7, 2017 at 12:29 PM UTC
When I was a youth, I spied a bird,
She filled my field with song,
And sadly it was, my duties began
But we made a vow singin,'
Together again!
And a way'l we go, as I hurry the sea and—
She waits the land.
My true love I call a nightingale,
And I myself a lark,
Together we make, two turtledoves,
And we made a vow singin,'
Together again!
And a way'l we go, as I hurry the sea and—
She waits the land.
O come will the day, that my true will say,
When all my sporting is over,
'Do you remember the days, I waited the land,
And you hurried the sea?'
Now, the sea is my girl and I her man,
I hear a lovers lament,
An old seabird cries from the brighty main,
And I join with him singin,'
Together again!
O come will the day, that my true will say,
'My heart, you've been the world over!'
But until I rest free, I must hurry the sea and
She waits the land.
Jul 14, 2013
Jul 14, 2013 at 1:30 PM UTC
Soft falls the light,
not sea nor beach nor seabird wandering sky
it is by nature separate and entirely of itself
edged in sand, a yellow shade of rippled countenance
not exactly day nor coming night
although the evening tide has lately been
it is a colour somewhere in-between
Mar 1, 2024
Mar 1, 2024 at 1:39 PM UTC
I could write messages to the sky
climbing to the top of this summer mountain
digitalis pink, swirling sweet with bees
this place, tangled all in green
At the overlook, I am with trees
windward hanging on, dream
to fly away, a seabird ocean soaring
my mind of paper kite, adrift
through clouds of sky
Smell of moss and cedar
release of incense
in the warming sun
footsteps, fragrance
soaking deep
within
This must be Eden's
color of azure water
glinting flecks of sun
transforming turquoise blue
that my reflections go
diving in
Mar 13, 2014
Mar 13, 2014 at 10:07 AM UTC