Thursday, November 20, 2008

Update and a poem

I’m home. My flight home had been changed and I was going to be coming in on the late flight, so I was glad to take a bump in Atlanta and allow the airline to put me up and give me enough money for another trip… So I got home yesterday morning, flying back in to a landscape dusted with snow. What a change! Driving home from the airport, I listened to Stephen Cobert on NPR’s “Fresh Air.” Sunday, on Comedy Central, Cobert will present his “Christmas Special.” It sounds like a lot of fun. One of the songs played on Fresh Air was a parody of the commercialization of Christmas, sung by Cobert and Elvis Costello. I think I know what I’ll be doing Sunday evening.

Monday night, my last night in North Carolina, I spent some time thinking on the Kure Beach pier. When the moon rose a little at 9 PM, it was blood red and inspired this poem. I don't understand everything about blogger formating an why the second part is spaced differently than the rest!


Observing the Apocalypse from Kure Beach Pier

Gazing upon the firmaments from the end of the pier
I’m serenaded by waves lapping against the wooden pylons
and the sound of the wind whipping against my jacket
chilling the back of my neck and erasing my cares.
I see Orion, rise on his side, out of the sea,
as if pulled by his belt, one star at a time appearing
till the three stand on top of each other on the eastern horizon.
The Hunter’s club is raised, in his winter pursuit of the bull


And I saw a beast rising out of the sea…-Revelation 13:1
A woman behind me yells in Spanish
and her husband drops his rod and rushes to her side
to aid in her battle against the fish.
Her rod bent double.
he leans over the railing,
and hand over hand pulls in her line,
and the angry ray dancing on the end.
On the deck of the pier,
the fish, the son of the Leviathan,
lashes out at the gathering spectators,
whipping it’s tail around and exposing its lethal barbs
On that day the Lord with his cruel and great and strong sword will punish the Laviathan…
-Isaiah 27:1

I look back upon the firmaments and observe
to the north of Orion
a fiery red moon rises above the waters,
the waning gibbous lunar body
looks as if its a caldron of molten iron
slightly tipped, ready to pour it’s deadly contents upon the ocean,
In horror, I watch,
but too fascinating to run.
And even if I could, where would I go?


The sun shall be blackened and the moon to blood
Before that great and terrible day of the Lord.

-Joel 2:31

Mesmerized, I watch in awe
and a feeling of relief yet sadness,
as the moon rises higher,
its hue changing from red to yellow
and finally white. Once again, we’ve been spared the apocalypse.

14 comments:

  1. Glad you're home safe and sound. I enjoyed the poem... sounds like a nice moment to witness.

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  2. I've been away for a few days, as well, and am now catching up. Loved the fish photo.

    Cheers.

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  3. Nice, except I thought bleeding moon, monster fish, great sword and all that drum-rolls preceding to Apocalypse are from Revelation, not from Isaiah and Joel. But of course what do I know? I'm the person who still think that Apocalypse is brewing, out of my own kitchen. Ah, that may be too sophisticated for you to understand! At least I would like to think that :)
    Why on earth did I cancel all the TV channels, now I miss Stephen Cobert, big time!

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  4. Good to see you back, that too with a poem. This captures the moments very well. It has a vitality of is own, which comes out very vividly.

    I would like to read more poetry from you...

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  5. Good poem! I am glad you got home safely.

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  6. Ooh, your poem gave me chills. The last line...wow! I loved it!

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  7. TC, the moon was beautiful!

    Randall, I hope you had a good time away.

    Mother Hen, the apocalypse is brewing in your kitchen? I thought you were a good cook?

    Gautami, Thanks. For some reason, I haven't been writing much poetry, maybe that'll change

    Kenju, it's great to be home

    Scarlet, glad the last line saved you from chills.

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  8. Though it's probably too taxing going to NC is great for the poetic musings of Sage

    Loved the pier details

    Was going to go to the airport later than my usual two hours early. Think I will stick to my early time as I have a birthday party tomorrow night and a family Thanksgiving in New England on Saturday--my family believes you can never eat too much turkey :)

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  9. A fine poem and I love Orion! My sympathies for braving Atlanta Hartsfield--an unnecessrily complicated airport (one among many). Great post, Sage!!!!

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  10. Pia, enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and at least in North Myrtle, you're not far from NC

    Michael, Atlanta can be a pain in the butt, this time I made the decision to take the bump as I didn't want to get home at 1 AM or later

    Jay, thanks, this that a martini in your hand?

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  11. wonderful poem, sage. hope more will stream from you.

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  12. Yes I'm a good cook, at least I think so - come on, what do you expect me to say? That I'm a bad cook? :) admitting being a bad cook is like having red painted all over my better-than-ya image you know! :)

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