Islander For Life

For today’ Poetics Challenge at dVerse Poets, Mish provides us with some famous cinema quotes and invites us to select one & incorporate it into our work. I’ve chosen one (for my closing line) from the 1985 classic JAWS.

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Islander For Life

You’ve known me for years; known
that I’m awash in words; seen me
struggle with the riptide; watched me
try and fail to avoid the poetic undertow.

You’ve combed my beach at midnight
or 2 AM, or 4, only to find me lost
at my keyboard, or journal scribbling.
I’m a windblown, insubstantial sandcastle.

My horizons have shrunk. I’m an isolated,
word-filled hermit, drowning in a sea of
ink on the tiniest of papery wastelands,
a castaway amid jampacked bookcases.

I’d like to leave it all behind; I’ve tried
and tried again. I can’t. You know I can’t.
You can try to rescue me if you must,
but you’re going to need a bigger boat.

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dVerse Poets
Poetics Tuesday
~ “Go Ahead; Make My Day” ~
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19 thoughts on “Islander For Life”

I agree with the bigger boat comment, I’ve got all this baggage that’s gotta come with. Nicely done.

I LOVE this!
….and I think poets need a ship.

Here comes the big boat. I specially love this part:

word-filled hermit, drowning in a sea of
ink

I imagine you need the bigger boat for your “jampacked bookcases.” This was a very relatable read! 💝

Enjoyed this very much!

I could really identify with this Ron. I think you could do worse than being ‘a castaway amid jampacked bookcases.’ 🙂

ah. epic use of bigger boat. this is profound.

As an islander, I appreciate this poem, Ron, and I love it as a poet who has also struggled with the riptide and the poetic undertow. I love the lines: ‘I’m a windblown, insubstantial sandcastle’ and
‘…I’m an isolated,
word-filled hermit, drowning in a sea of
ink on the tiniest of papery wastelands,
a castaway amid jampacked bookcases.’
I would definitely need a bigger boat.

An ark!

I so identify with this! I had to have bookcase shelves built into my “office” in my new home to make room for all my journals and books of essays and poems!

I’d say this island has been kind to you.

I’m a windblown, insubstantial sandcastle. I love it!
Wonderful poem Ron. Very well written and great use of the prompt line.

I think the perfect boat is a library at sea.

positively Roy Scheider-esque. Scheider-like? Scheider-man?

To any who might think a compulsive poet-at-all-hours needs rescue I extend my drawbridge with an invite to come visit – to experience why I have no desire to be rescued – just ask that you not stay too long unless you too begin writing writing writing …