ONE
a gleaming ray breaks the fold
flitting feathers fly
upwards, away from the blue
sink
a mast. white and bold.
grainy days are distant memory
they never told
me
nor did the sand
only the wind knows how far we will sail
TWO
meat hooks fish hooks Captain Hook
they hold you still until they can't anymore
tides bring us the treasures of all that is lost
leaving that ruddy vessel anchored to the floor
ragged hooks pull and pull
against swirling storms of dust deep down below
now rubble lies beside the peeling paint
too wet to dry
too tired to cry
faithful conjurer or faithless saint?
he knows when to lay his hook to rest
but Captain Hook sailed away that day
he ran away from being a saint
THREE
away from the mossy tenures of your fate
lie forsaken dreams
brazen blackbirds beat
their wind-sails over muddy-mottled shores
sailors feast their eyes on leaf-laden floors
they studied in maps
chartered and scribbled
in a frantic race to conquer the wide world
the trees watch in disdain, fearing God
and his army of men
the rocks show no fright
they gift the rightful a promise of heaven
it shall stand as it stands
nothing else
FOUR
a child of this world
gazes into the ténéré
he will not come back
teasing vistas of solitude
break the illusion
now encased in black
tender strings call
and harmonious voices
he will not come back
a wandering soul
a mind detached
now encased in black
the mast is drawn
splintered and torn
he will not come back
FIVE
he spied through the looking-glass and saw clearly
the ill-scented path
faring over long seas
into mustard ports in mustard lands
azure eyelids opened to the sky
tied to a grief-stricken mast
he spied through the looking-glass and saw clearly
the ill-scented truth
SIX
he laid aside all he owned
leather-bound pages sabre-toothed carvings
swiss-army knife sling-shot ball
he traded it all to climb aboard
Charon's boat
he had seen them sail
many times
to hell and back
he had a choice then
now no longer
assanaghs ilkam d'aglough ilkam d'aglough
those words hummed through the air
soft as the sea song
sung low and dry
those words hummed just as fair
no meaning
no truth
sound and fury
sound of fury
sound fury
silence
bahari
bahiri
bahr
