grau de sandice

July 20, 2009 at 7:10 pm | Posted in poetry, writing | 10 Comments
Tags: poetry, writing

mojo bags, botanical obscurities
honey, corn and cowrie shells
topped with scented candles,
grinning incantations deep within
the dank basement the lonesome ships
hold tight, ships hold, rollicking
basement -song burst…slap him around and call him Suzie
what shall we do with
set him on fire until he’s roasted-
planets not all liquid yet and y’aint
no ancient seaman hearing this
impressed from gin dank slums
and swiftly cast a’spell here in this

Suspended in the upper air
the seasprayed decks wet with
salt wave overruns tears washbuckle down son
switch it done and under dig
nineteen twenty twenty one
coins of copper
bone ash from seven hung men dripping
lillies, grapes and lace kercheif
sails might a swell be sheets
lace kerchief dropped fluttering down
and drowning til her storms past
and the seas shes sheet glass
the only motion droplet gulls
crowning the softest surface swell

(This piece has been podcasted here)

10 Comments »

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This is magical…and I could tell right away what song it was from…well done, matey.

Comment by Tina— July 20, 2009 #
Shiver me timbers, that’s a rip roaring ditty you have there, Squires. I dare you to podcast this tongue twister after a beer or two, haha.

Comment by Narnie— July 21, 2009 #
Excellent. I can hear the pirates sing song so clearly. Well done. I have to agree with Narnie. Podcasting this after a few would be great. Have a nice night.

Comment by Michelle Johnson— July 21, 2009 #
Great job, Paul — absolutely lovely.

Comment by Thomma Lyn— July 21, 2009 #
Oh yes, I vote yes to the podcast too! 🙂

Comment by Simonne— July 21, 2009 #
ooo magical and gorgeous love it :)!!!!

Comment by Mental Mist— July 24, 2009 #
I agree re: the podcast. When I got to the 2nd paragraph I had to start reading it out loud. the sounds, here aloud, in the last 5 lines are such fun:

lace kerchief dropped fluttering down
and drowning til her storms past
and the seas shes sheet glass
the only motion droplet gulls
crowning the softest surface swell

Comment by openchannel— July 24, 2009 #
Here’s the ship(not that related to yours but with the same general rules that all have), it leaves a wake, the wake fades out and that tells us where the ship has been.
In just the same way that our past tells us what we have done.
But as we go back into the past, and we go back and back, to prehistory
and we use all kinds of instruments & scientific methods for detecting what happened.
We eventually reach a point where all record of the past fades away
in just the same way as the wake of a ship.

Comment by mariana— July 24, 2009 #
I have podcasted this one here. Thanks for all the kind comments and encouragement. Podcasting is not my favourite thing.

Comment by Paul— July 24, 2009 #
Yes! More podcasts please.

Comment by gnunn— July 28, 2009 #