“A Burnt Ship” by John Donne [w/ Audio]

Out of a fired ship, which by no way
But drowning could be rescued from the flame,
Some men leap'd forth, and ever as they came
Near the foes' ships, did by their shot decay;
So all were lost, which in the ship were found,
They in the sea being burnt,
They in the burnt ship drown'd.

DAILY PHOTO: Baku Shoreline

“A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky” by Lewis Carroll [w/ Audio]

A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July --

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear --

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream --
Lingering in the golden gleam --
Life, what is it but a dream?

The Not-So-Distant Sea [Haiku]

the sea isn't far:
somedays you see its slim band;
others, it blends.

Sunset Over the Sea [Haiku]

the sun sets,
brightly striping the sea
as clouds are blackened.

Row Me into Nowhere [Lyric Poem]

Row me into nowhere --
The middle of the sea --
To drift without a care
As waves roll under me.

Row me into nowhere,
That vacant stretch of sea,
To watch blue skies, so fair,
For an eternity.

Row me into nowhere;
I'll bob upon the waves.
Let me make it my lair:
Free of rascals and knaves.

Row me into nowhere
When all the good are gone;
I'll breathe that salty air
Until my soul moves on.

Sea of Clouds [Haiku]

a sea of clouds:
flat & calm; rimmmed with
cumulus mountains.

“I never saw a moor” (1052) by Emily Dickinson [w/ Audio]

I never saw a moor;
I never saw the sea,
 Yet know I how the heather looks
  And what a billow be.

I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven.
 Yet certain am I of the spot
 As if the checks were given. 

Choppy Shore [Haiku]

waves crash ashore,
churning waves to foam,
 white coastal frill.

DAILY PHOTO: Rocky Shore, Yehliu