Sunday, October 20, 2019

1203 - Crews Control



Crews Control

At a distance it is a lovely blue,
A vessel displaying a certain grace
It glides serenely through time and space,
Indifferent to the actions of the crew.

Like children fighting for the best position
Of cabin, top bunk or at the Captain's table;
Greedy, ignorant and quite unstable,
They are suicidal acts of self-coition.

Arrogantly, the crew have not yet assessed
The ship's unconcern with their petty fights,
As it powers onwards through the nights —
Will it become the next Mary Celeste?

A hundred tableaus in a hundred rooms
Meanwhile, not far up ahead, disaster looms.
    .
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© 2019 J Cosmo Newbery
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16 comments:

  1. Will they, can they be saved?
    Can we?

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  2. The metaphor is dire - yet true.

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  3. Oh yes, so apt. Wonderful to read you, Cosmo.

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  4. So good to read your poetry again J Cosmo - and what an epic return to the poetic waters

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  5. A modern-day Rime of the Ancient Mariner, perhaps?

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  6. This definitely has (sadly) the ring of truth!

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  7. I thought more about the Bounty than Marie Celeste... good to see you again

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  8. A wise and sadly true metaphor. Great writing Cosmo!

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  9. Crews control... the ship that sails itself. And it seems so effortless but there are so many things to be careful of when trying to bring a ship safely back to harbour. I was caught by thoughts of the flying dutchmen. The ship that is doomed to sail forever.

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  10. So you think that the Earth is yet another Marie Celeste? It certainly looks that way.

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  11. Nice play on words, that title.

    It certainly is lovely from a distance, but you are quite right – when admiring that grace, we forget all the things happening on board.

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    Replies
    1. Oops, and I completely missed the metaphor until I read other comments. But now that I get it: yes very apt indeed, more's the pity.

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  12. great sonnet!
    your poem reminds me of the Titanic.

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  13. I'm hoping the disaster can be avoided but who really knows. Love the title too

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