The Center of the Ocean

The Center of the Ocean

A Poem by Daniel Affsprung
"

About a equatorial paradise, at first and second glance.

"
Previous Version
This is a previous version of The Center of the Ocean.



This place that one can only reached in a boat
Sailing on nimbus clouds
This land that can only be found on a moonless night,
During an eclipse.

The beach is a dance of black and white sand
That motionlessly blends with itself, like marble about to melt.
There are gravestones here, but they bear no names
They depict only the faces of the men they eulogize.

Dogs run here, in between monuments built up 
From the sand at random, not facing any star in particular,
Not revealing some prophecy, just standing.
On the beach.

At dawn, the water is so temperate and clear, 
It is sometimes hard to tell when one's feet first are brushed
By the tide.
The clouds appear close and far away at once,
Like diamond-dust kicked up by the footsteps of a restless god.

There is one real building, a lighthouse
That was abandoned when the first outsiders 
Realized that they would always be alone.
There are broken eyeglasses on the rusted balcony,
And inside, a letter from a child.

The forest smells of incense and dry coral, 
And there is a mountain in it's center.
It's peak houses more graves, and writings 
Of the first people to discover the written word.
The writing is not primitive, or artistic like hieroglyphics,
Or Chinese characters.

It's appearance is reminiscent of musical staves.

The graves here are carved jade, and the expressions on the faces
Discontinue their forced smiles when one looks away.
But maybe it's just a trick of the light.

The first man to be angry with nature lived and died here,
And the first scream to the heavens rang from these onyx deserts
And gold-flecked hillsides, echoing over canyons hewn by tears
And choked by dams of bone.

This is the Birthplace of the Storm, 
Where heaven sorrowfully established for the first time,
That it could scream back

© 2011 Daniel Affsprung




Reviews

This is amazing metaphor! I needed to breath after this! Such striking imagery:)
I think and I say this with sincerity...this is one of the best poems I have read in a while!
xx

Posted 13 Years Ago


A most excellent write ..I love the descriptions in the metaphors..I especially like this part for its descriptiveness"The forest smells of incense and dry coral,

And there is a mountain in it's center.

It's peak houses more graves, and writings

Of the first people to discover the written word.

The writing is not primitive, or artistic like hieroglyphics,

Or Chinese characters.




It's appearance is reminiscent of musical staves."

This review was written for a previous version of this writing

Posted 13 Years Ago


I especially love the last stanza...........This is the Birthplace of the Storm,
Where heaven sorrowfully established for the first time,
That it could scream back

This review was written for a previous version of this writing

Posted 13 Years Ago



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Added on August 28, 2011
Last Updated on August 28, 2011
Tags: paradise, island, storm, origin, prose

Author

Daniel Affsprung
Daniel Affsprung

Lewisburg, PA



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Interested in what people think of my writing, and what to do with it. Please contact me with your opinions, ideas, or questions. Pennsylvania more..

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