A Captain's Bluff

[Wayne Gray]

I found it!  This is a poem I wrote while looking out over a wild, white-capped ocean.  I myself was safely ensconced in a little, seaside cafe, but my imagination ran pretty wild as I watched the water foam and rage.  This is the last thing I'll post here for a while.  My stuff is formulaic.  I won't post more until I can do better.

 

A Captain's Bluff

 

A ship tossed high upon the wave,

Crashed through the foamy sea,

Her men worked hard to save their ship,

An' from the storm did flee.

 

The captain stood there at the helm,

His knuckles white with fright,

In his heart, he felt despair,

Then he spied a tiny light.

 

"Lighthouse ho!" the cry rang out,

An' then their fate was cast,

But as the prow turned toward the spark,

Lightning split the mast.

 

Flames burned fierce upon the deck,

An' one small sail still flew,

The captain watched his crew look up,

To see if he were through.

 

Then he knew, to show despair,

Would be to doom them sure,

An' so he did, what he felt,

Would buoy his hopeless crew.

 

He threw his head back an' roared,

With laughter, and a curse,

His men saw him, took his lead,

And then went back to work.

 

The captain aimed for the light,

An' prayed it'd be enough,

To get them all, safe to home,

Sailing on a captain's bluff.

[AC Benus]

What do you mean by formulaic? If you want to get feedback on something you're unsure on, post it in Live-Poets for thoughts. We're a friendly bunch

 

This poem is great. It sets the scene and emotions perfectly.

[Wayne Gray]

3 minutes ago, AC Benus said:

What do you mean by formulaic? If you want to get feedback on something you're unsure on, post it in Live-Poets for thoughts. We're a friendly bunch

 

This poem is great. It sets the scene and emotions perfectly.

My need to rhyme to write poetry is one.  And the fact that they all pretty much run the same way, the same rhyming scheme.

 

2,4

2,4

2,4

2,4

 

I've experimented with other ways to write them, but none "stick".  I always hate anything I write which varies from the pattern.  Haiku is something I do like, but that's the only other form I enjoy producing.

 

Thanks for the invite to the Live-Poets thread, and for the feedback.  I actually like this one.  It takes me right back to the sea.

[Parker Owens]

1 hour ago, Wayne Gray said:

My need to rhyme to write poetry is one.  And the fact that they all pretty much run the same way, the same rhyming scheme.

 

2,4

2,4

2,4

2,4

 

I've experimented with other ways to write them, but none "stick".  I always hate anything I write which varies from the pattern.  Haiku is something I do like, but that's the only other form I enjoy producing.

 

Thanks for the invite to the Live-Poets thread, and for the feedback.  I actually like this one.  It takes me right back to the sea.

 

Rhyme and form are okay. I write with both, frequently. So is free verse okay. But @AC Benus is right: Live Poets can help with meaningful feedback and encouragement, which helped me rediscover my enjoyment in writing poetry. 

[Wayne Gray]

Just now, Parker Owens said:

 

Rhyme and form are okay. I write with both, frequently. So is free verse okay. But @AC Benus is right: Live Poets can help with meaningful feedback and encouragement, which helped me rediscover my enjoyment in writing poetry. 

Thanks, I'll drop in, for sure.

 

I think of myself as a writer first.  Poetry is something I dabble in, and it's always sporadic when I feel the urge to write it.  It's usually at extremes of emotion - really high or really low.