Author Information
Viking Rite
A small ship, barely buoyant,
Cradled on a darkened sea.
Holding a viking warrior
Mourned,
Clothed in kersey and sabel
And topped with a horn-rimmed cap.
Cur at his feet,
Still begging
To a master
No longer answering.
Dowsed in kerosene
They burn adrift
Out into nature's library
Under a sun-lit moon.
The ocean welcomes them back
In a steamy surrender.
The fire fails as the boat sinks,
And becomes a book
In the depths of the ocean
Which everyone will read
When the time comes.
These words inspire me to think that..
The triumph in tragedy is that the past will again become part of the future.
You are the muse for 1 of my poems
Dear Stephen,
a line in thie poem inspired me to write
https://www.postpoems.org/authors/saiom/poem/1100589
and I want to thank you very much.
Saiom
There is another Stephen on this site who goes simply by his first name.
Viking
Burning a corpse is one thing
but burning to deat a living being?
Other than the dog it is a beautiful
poem
Love Those Vikings!
.
The god-sagas are many and wondrous. Kerosene? Okay. The tales of Ragnar Lothbruk were mesmerizing! The best yet attempt to film the pantheon of gods and belief systems. Great poem - flavor and tone balanced.
.
11-1-21 Reread
"sun- lit moon" - bravo! Someone should do a tv comedy (not spoof) series about Norse gods. Be a hoot! Lots of material to draw from. Consultant in Norse mythology needed.
.
Lady A
Gripping and pulse-pounding,
Gripping and pulse-pounding, this accomplished an impressive feat by placing us in the center of tragedy with striking wordplay such as "Out into nature's library/ Under a sun-lit moon." and "The ocean welcomes them back/ In a steamy surrender."
But here's where I was devastated and captured completely:
"Still begging
To a master
No longer answering."
When I'm left with such deep feelings, I know I've read great poetry. My respect.
Although I could wish nothing
Although I could wish nothing had happened to the dog, I applaud this very poignant, yet very concise, poem!
Starward
Thank you
Kinda odd that I had just been thinking about this poem before you commented on it. Not my usual style and one of the few complete thoughts I ever had. Thank you for your comment!
Thank you for your kind
Thank you for your kind reply. I actually have read the poem more than once, because, like other very fine poems, it does not disclose all of its meaning on the first reading. My comment was written immediately after my first reading, so I was not yet aware of the fullness of this poem's power. In the first two stanzas, the setting and specific details shake the reader up a bit; in the second two stanzas, the reader---shaken---finds the profounder interpretation. This poem works on several levels, and I hope you are quite pleased with it.
Starward
The last few minutes of two loving souls
©bishu
Wow! Beautifully written
Wow! Beautifully written poignant and haunting! Cheers SS
Don't let any one shake your dream stars from your eyes, lest your soul Come away with them! -SS
"Well, it's love, but not as we know it."