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Michael Brown Photography & Poetry |
Safe Harbor for Charles Olson Then I came to this quiet place, the soft wash among sheltering rocks sending wave action back on waves till they subside in still water, a place for boats to anchor, make repairs, where action is never immediate and crisis comes in the news, flotsam on the tidal surge, singular pieces telling small tales of great struggles-- the cracked transom of the Mary L showing how she sank but not why, a singed life ring from the Remagen, rope wrongly tangled in a split spar, and a thousand meaningless fragments of work done, small things lost, annoyances tossed. "Will you sail again?" the waitress asks. I never say never, think I might if the right ship and crew wanted good help, but after twelve days stranded at sea this work suits me. I can do it. I live on a rocky hill, and when storms come, I have a snug place warm alone. There's not the thrill of the reach, delight in the splash and breeze, the lovely buoyant draw of a ship managing the wind's catch, the joyous idyll across unmarked ways, the southern cross high, and the night so full that heaven must be creaking at its seams, leaking starlight into the black beyond. It's a hard choice--another voyage or a winter full of booze. I know what'll happen if I go to sea, but you can never tell where a night of drink might lead. _____________________________ Copyright © Michael R. Brown |
TRIBES. Stamping. Earth. Earth. Earth. TRIBES. Stamping. Earth. Earth. Earth. TRIBES. Stamping. Earth. Earth. Earth. TRIBES. |
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The Culture of Peace 2001 Web-Exhibit |
"The Seamen's Bethel Reflected in the Whaling Museum, New Bedford," 11" x 16" print matted and framed |
The Gallery Behind the Falls, Winter 2001 |
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