The Sea and the Old Man

I heave and churn, writhe and squirm

Your lonesome dove a lighthouse in the distance

Tendrils of darkened stars lap languidly along your rusted bars

Bars of sand, bars of enduring existence

I am again amused by your fort’s lasting persistence

                                                     You, Sea, are vicious

Waiting for the driving force of the curse, I wail longingly in repeated verse

My building dance restricted only by the limits set by the moon in the far distance

The rhythm ebbs, then wakes, as the wind takes its undecided first steps

Your vessel a gleaming web of mystery swallowed by my torrent of unwavering insistence

You, a window thrust in false walls in an instant

                                                           How dare you leave me profitless

Foam cresting cautiously against your memories

Saudade! For I remember that you were also once a handsome young boy not far from brilliance

Memories of the giddiness of drink, memories of regret all arrive in a euphoric blink

I see you sink in your pooling reminiscence

As I completely forget to practice my utmost cautiousness  

                                                                I was tricked into believing a hope so fictitious

I weave my silver threads in reflective flashes, I, a tidal wave, wearing a mirror

Your hands weathered and brow beaten, unrecognizable in a distance

Mist sprayed fine and fond and firm in a line

Firm of body, firm of mind is I, the seemingly nonexistent

You show absolutely no resistance as I threaten to beat down your very existence

                                             I’ve given up, Sea

I repeat the kestrel’s call, making sure that your shell’s echoes sing it all

Your spirit an anchor dug deep in cement

My currents pulling darkness past purpose

Purpose of skin reduced to the carcass of the sea, purpose of wishes no longer a pushing piston

Now is the end to our push and pull, end to our coexistence

                                                    You see, all I wanted to do was buy her a dress

*A note from me: this poem’s format emulates the format of “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe*