The Center of the OceanA Poem by Daniel AffsprungAbout 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 AffsprungReviews
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StatsAuthorDaniel AffsprungLewisburg, PAAboutInterested in what people think of my writing, and what to do with it. Please contact me with your opinions, ideas, or questions. Pennsylvania more..Writing
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