Flecks of sea rust
trailed phantom ships,
their crews (it’s said)
marooned in paradise.
In this crash economy
we had no choice—
fight the fishing fleets,
reflag at sea.
An old fax machine
wired to a car battery
sent our request to join
some landlocked navy.
We lined up behind
flags of convenience
leading us forever
from our green homes.
While sharks & frigates circled,
I reckoned the distance
between two hearts
and almost made the leap.
—
This came from reading a series of articles on piracy in the Naval War College Review (Summer 2009, Vol. 62 No. 3).
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
This is a great write, isn’t it? Lots of facts, beautifully strung together.
Yeah, I like this one too.
Very curious and dreamlike… love that “landlocked navy” and the last two couplets especially.
There’s a wonderful sense of dereliction and decay here, that sense helped greatly by the laconic two-line stanzas. Powerful and atmospheric.
Thanks, y’all, I appreciate your comments on this.