Lighthouse Keepers & Single-Minded Yachtsmen
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fill a kettle
light the gas
fire up the elemental
be patient but wary
your minute, personal tempest
simmers long
before it boils away in a blink
will it be whiskey or brandy
maybe some rum ...
you mix with your lightkeeper's brew
go slow
take your oblivion
one shot at a time
dose in hand
retire to your porthole
overlook
what is a lovely view
but only in good weather
this long night ...
Polaris is scrubbed out
beneath steel-wool clouds
in the sparks and soot
there is no seeing the Way
alone, upon dark waves
persists
a single-minded yachtsman
his gliding and swinging ways
long lost upstream
his course now sodden and shortened
the gale-drunk seafarer knows
tack with economy
or be washed away in the rage
drowned in silent eddies
why not open
your drop-splattered pane
call out and invite the journeyer in
be more than a glimpsed beacon
to a lost navigator
would he mistake the warmth
the energetic vibrato in your tones
for the sizzled warning
of a coming lightening strike
he's a little further
down-current
this rain-pelted mariner
haphazardly jettisoned
increasingly absorbed
in the turbulent flow
a waterlogged cork
bearth-less, adrift
aquatic detritus
cast off ... and away
from the high-life at sea
a dead or mast-head
the difference ...
a question of time
and the rising water level
still ... why not open your portal
call out the Way
***
All words and images are my own
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This was a great write, @prydefoltz. I really enjoyed the imagery of the steel wool clouds. What a great metaphor.
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Thanks, Moe. I appreciate the read and especially the comment:)
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You're always welcome. How's the Amazon thing work out for you? I've often thought about it, but figured there wasn't much of a market for poetry.
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It is a labour of love, that is for sure. But I do sell the odd book.
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Would you advise other authors to do it? Do you self-publish? Have you tried other things like patreon? Sorry for the rapid fire questions.
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I would say do it; but don't do it for the money. There isn't much. Only very few authors will ever make a living at this. It is could to have another gig. I have a patreon account but I have not developed it.
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Thanks, Pryde. I've toyed around with the idea for a while. I appreciate your insight.
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Brilliant!! Loved it :)
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Thanks so much, Ray:)
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These liiiiiiiiiiiinesssssss
"take your oblivion
one shot at a time"
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Thank you, Kara:)
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This really sits with me. Sometimes it's easier to "go with the flow" than be a salmon fighting your way upstream. Yet all he needs is a guiding light to help him through.
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Thank you, Victor. Yes that guiding light is essential.
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Outstanding, Pryde! I love this so much. I don't recall having read it before. Is it a new piece?
Resteemed and curated to writing-curation in @c-squared on Discord
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Thank you, Denise. Yes, it is new.
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