THE HULL

THE HULL

The shattered hull

Lies half submerged in sand,

Not frequent of this dry domain,

Its epitaph flaking on foreign land.

Where lodger’s limpet and mussels dwell,

This broken hull with tales to tell,

Of far off lands and oceans.

Once warming seas

Caressed the keel,

And shanty songs

Helped turn the wheel.

Nymphs and Sirens

Bid the sailors come

To kiss them on the dreaded rocks,

Seduced eyes tinted with heady rum.

A mirage inducing ocean.

Now here it sits

Where children play,

Crabs hide in holes

So the gulls can’t prey.

No ships bell rings

Only the waves surging sound.

Where the captain stood

Just sandy ground,

Never again on the ocean.

Phil Hall  May 2013