Sea Poppy 2 - by
A concrete poem made from the names of boats.
A concrete poem made from the names of boats.
the bungle-man
/ thinks
/ with crewless brains:
/ like the boat-bob
/ from Ngerechemai
/ who tagged
/ the where-is
/ of his fishtraps
/ with a cloud.
/ …
I cast
/ Blindly
/ Snap!
/ Aue!
/ Te ikari!
/ Bonefish
/ It bites
/ It tugs
/ Then runs
/ Really runs
/ A silver bullet
/ Running
/ Pulling
/ Zigzagging
/ Everywhere
/ Hooked
/ On my line
/ Ai aue!
/ …
Courting
/
/ I’m not fishing for small fish
/ I’m casting my net for you
/ When I whistle three times
/ Throw your net and run.
/
/
/ Mimicry/Courting
/
/ I would…
Tuna you are the mirror of the blue
/ Tuna you are the pain in my veins
/ Tuna you are lord.
/
/ When I set…
The Alban stands away now, rocking and dark,
/ Sandy alone aboard, in the wheel-house, keeping
/ The engine slow but a constant…
Wake up man! Waken! Listen!
/
/ What?
/ What is it?
/
/ Oh what a dream I’ve had,…
Bha thus’ a’ sgoltadh sgadain
/ ann an Yarmouth fad air falbh
/ ’s a’ ghrian shaillt sa mhadainn
/ ag èirigh às a’ chuan
/ ’s an…
His drifter swung in the night
/ from a mile of nets
/ between the Shiants and Harris.
/
/ My boy’s eyes watched
/ the lights of the…
Ae boat anerlie nou
/ Fishes frae this shore,
/ Ae black drifter lane
/ Riggs the crammasie daw,
/ Aince was a fleet, and nou
/ Ae boat alane…
She’s a solan, she’s a tramper, she’s a sea-shaker,
/ she’s a hawk, she’s a hammer, she’s a big-sea-breaker,
/ she’s a falcon, she’s…
Greet the bights that gave me shelter,
/ they will hide me no more with the horns of their forelands.
/ I…