There’s a shipwreck over yonder,
tethered to the pilings by thin strands frayed
by tensions and pressure, a miserable sight to behold
I once knew that ship
A small, proud lady she was, lovely to watch
gliding over glass oceans, so sleek and fine,
delicately crafted to ride soft swells
But the sea is a fickle bitch, brutal to a vessel too weak,
too poorly constructed to withstand the force of tumultuous waters
Blind to dark skies, deaf to gale wind warnings clamoring around her,
she sailed directly into the path of storms she might have
steered clear of, if only she could have looked ahead
A ruin, now,
she’s damned near unrecognizable
She was found washed up and broken, fragile hull splintered
against the headland, her beautiful masquerade washed away
as debris descending into murky depths, lost forever to sand and silt
It was thought perhaps she could be salvaged, many tried--
until the deep rot of her core was bared to light, exposed,
no longer hidden behind pretty bells and whistles
Twisted and warped, dark secrets outed, she lists unclaimed
against the pier she’s knotted to, discarded, irreparable, unsalvageable
I once thought I knew that ship,
but I never really knew her at all
(c) 2019 Alicia Winski
(c) 2019 Alicia Winski
Alicia Winski, poet and a writer of short stories, was born and raised in
Southern California.Having spent many of her formative years on or
near the beaches of Venice, Playa del Rey and Malibu, her writing style,
both contemplative and personal, is reflective of the affinity she
developed for water, music and color during those years. Along with
her first collection of poetry, Running On Fumes, (Edgar & Lenore’s
Publishing) her writing has appeared in publications such as ...and it
happened under cover (NightWing Publications), From the
Four-Chambered Heart: A Tribute to Anais Nin (Sybaritic Press),
Rolling Thunder Press, Cliterature, Requiem Magazine, Neon
Highway Poetry Magazine and Marbella Marbella Adelante! Having
work on her second and third collections.
Sublime!
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