Monday, June 5, 2006

North Sea Harr (For Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Out in open waters,
adrift on ocean waves,
a sea-fog can suddenly descend from nowhere
to ruin what might otherwise have been a fine day.
Don't take this landlubbers word for it,
ask any seasoned sailor or well-oiled fisherman.
Potentially deadly to the small mariner,
sea-fog is a thick damp and drizzly plague
which mainly occurs in coastal regions during the summer.
Visibility is cut in an instant.
Vessels can pass within metres, inches even, of one another,
and yet not make visual contact.
You can still feel the other vessel's undertow though.
Sense their presence out there in the swirling fret.
Taste the oily fruit-scented texture of their lipbalm.
Watch the radar go haywire.
Over the centuries, many a shipwreck
has been blamed on this rare and enigmatic weather phenomenon.
Last I heard, she was dating a member of the Magic Circle.
How can I ever hope to compete with that?
My top-hat contains no long-eared rabbits.
My sleeves conceal no turtle doves.

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