The Fury of the Sea

A captain stood upon a dock,

His eyes toward the sea,

As over flew a silent flock,

And under schools swam free.

 

A bird or fish he wished to be

At times Death seemed nearby-

With fins to roam about the sea

Or wings to grace the sky.

 

Some weeks ago arose a sight

As strange as strange could be.

And that which gave him such a fright

Was the fury of the sea.

 

Upon the placid western sea

A vessel bobbed along.

The captain was believed to be

A man who saw things wrong.

 

He stood upon the bow of the ship,

A hand upon the mast,

And faintly saw that dreaded whip

That terrorized his past.

 

He lightly fingered ev’ry charm

That sat upon his neck,

And hoped that whip would cease to harm-

To keep his nerves in check.

 

Then all at once he heard the sound

Of drums and whistling flutes,

Of footsteps marching on the ground

With heavy steel-toed boots.

 

He looked behind him at his crew,

Who found it queer to hear

This music come out of the blue,

For land was nowhere near.

 

Rocks rose, then, from below the sea,

So sharp and sinister.

The sailors gaped, and instantly

Knew death was to occur.

 

The music played, and through their mind

The thought of Sirens passed.

Yet neither had the spur to bind

Himself to any mast.

 

While ev’ryone let out a sigh,

And braced themselves for death,

Around the ship six waves rose high-

The sailors held their breath.

 

The waves but made their quick ascent,

And then began to spin.

Around the rugged rocks they went,

The fretful ship within.

 

The crew, eyes shut, were hanging tight

On both sides of the ship,

And wondered how they earned the plight

Of feeling Death’s cold grip.

 

The captain’s eyes were open wide,

His hand gripped ev’ry charm,

And hoped some miracle would guide

His ship away from harm.

 

The music played a quicker tune,

The waves increased their force

To hurl them like a fierce typhoon

About the rocky course.

 

As ev’ry wave would shake his ship,

He saw a sight to fear:

A monstrous rock so fit to flip  

What daring ship drew near.

 

Quite certain they were now to die,

The captain closed his eyes.

A lurch, a whoosh, then by and by

He felt the ship capsize.

 

When dared they all to blink an eye,

They with relief could sigh.

No man lay dead, and none would die

As evening crossed the sky.

 

They looked around, by wonder led,

And saw the sinking rocks

Behind the ship, while far ahead

They saw the harbour docks.

 

His crew knelt down, and young and old

Requested clemency

For always doubting what he told

Of all he claimed to see.

 

The captain grinned, aware the sea

Had conjured such a fright

To merely show his crew that he

Was one who saw things right.

 

Some weeks ago arose a sight

As strange as strange could be.

And that which gave him such a fright,

Was the fury of the sea.

-EDP

Reviews

[Kathy Van Kurin]

'The fury of the Sea'
emipoemi,
Sometimes I will read something and it evokes emotion. This poem was like that. We all have had ancestors, friends of understood the meaning of those whom have fought at sea or made their living in other ways thereabouts. Your ability to enter the experience of your subject and bring a sense of reality is apparent in this above writing. A captain has great responsibility and his word is to be trusted which was a great message here.
Blessings,
Kathy

[emipoemi]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

I really love the power of a narrative poem. It draws the reader into the poem, takes them on a journey, then nearly always surprises at the end. This is no exception. It's a wonderful story, exceptionally delivered with fluidity of meter and rhyme.

[emipoemi]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much!

[Ethan]

Great poem, I'd just avoid using the word "sea" 7 times because it gets repetitive. Though harder to rhyme, you could throw some "ocean"s in there as well.

[emipoemi]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it some thought, something I never really took into account while writing it (this is an early ballad of mine). But given the sea is also in a way a character the repetition adds a bit of importance. But I know where you're coming from, and I'll definitely give it some thought.

[andrew mitchell]

A well constructed epic poem indeed, excellent flow, i love mariner type stories of the seas. well done.

[emipoemi]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Beautiful Epic Poem that harkens to Coleridge's 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Great wordage, form, flow, rhythm and rhyme. Vivid and evocative imagery. Excellent work!

[emipoemi]

Thank you so much! You're the first one to latch onto the inspiration for the poem. Althought, I'd contest to this being an "epic".....this to me is an average length ballad.....the real epic is coming (just have to post a few other poems beforehand). So glad you enjoyed this!

[Edward Tapper]

Emipoemi,
Thank you for the review of my poem "Dusk" I have only been writing just about one year and welcome your review. I find it hard to review others poems as I am so new to writing, but I will try anyway.
I looked at your latest poem "The Fury of the Sea" and it reminded me of a book I read just recently called "The Spirit of the Japanese Sea.
I find it impressive how each poet I come into contact with has a way of writing unique to themselves. What can I say about your poem is I like the easy flow as you tell the story through the captain of the crews impending death only for the captain to prove his worth as he sailed his ship out of danger.
It's so well constructed I can see I have a long way to go in my endeavours to write to such a standard.

[emipoemi]

Well, if you've only dabbled with the pen for about a year, indeed you're still a novice, but with time and dedication, you will learn the tricks of the trade and you will become better. Peruse the greats, study their styles, and figure out how they created such wonders. In time, you will be making them too.
I'll definitely check that book out. Sounds interesting, if such is what this poem reminded you of. Thanks for commenting. It cheered me quite a bit!