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III. THE WATER SERMON
by Lacy D PhillipsIII. THE WATER SERMON
The ocean’s sphere is augmented; the first tendrils of arctic current 173
Stab and mount onto arid beaches. The wind 174
Chops the tops of blue waves, howling. The whales are endangered.
Sour Tide, ebb slowly, till I board my cruise.
The ocean hosts empty drums, spent lighters,
Plastic grocery bags, 6-pack rings, used syringes 178
And other flotsam of industry. The whales are endangered.
And the fish, the skittled schools of coral dwellers; 180
Endangered, have nowhere left to go. 181
On The Gulf Shores, I stood up and wailed… 182
Sour Tide, ebb slowly till I board my cruise,
Sour Tide, ebb slowly, for I’m prone to bumps and easily bruise.
But from windward in a gale I hear 185
The creak of spars, and snap of full-bellied sails. 186
A shark cuts sharply through the vacant shallows
Driving its hammered head against the swell
While I was diving in the hazy bay
On a summer’s day off the side of a rented boat
Reflecting on the king crab, my brother’s catch
And on the king crab my father’s catch before him.
Silver fishes writhing on the decks
And nets tossed in wet heaps,
Trampled by rubber boots, season to season.
But from windward now and then I hear
The sound of foghorns and hails, which are answered
Skipper to Gilligan in the reruns.
O the airwaves lapped gently at Gilligan
And at his donuts 200
They made their goods of coconuts
Et le broutement des dauphins, jouant dans le sillage! 202
Splash splash splash
Chug chug chug chug chug chug
Politely urged.
Hup hup 206
Surreal Suburbs
Under the white smog of a summer sun
Mrs. _______, the trophy wife
Manicured, with a bottle full of Xanax
Rx Louisville: refill times three,
Asked me in Valley Girl
To, like, do lunch at The Seelbach
Followed by a bender on 4th Street L!ve.
At the violent hour, when eyes are smoke-burned
And the back aches from dance, when the animal desires flare
Like the flames in the eye of a jungle cat,
I ________, though deaf, strumming between two chords
Young woman with plump, augmented breasts, can see
At the violent hour, the morning hour that strikes
Outward, and drives the revelers home to crash,
The lush home at daybreak, clears her throat, lights
Her cigarette, and gathers empty bottles.
Over the shower curtain limply drip
Her negligees and garters shunned by the fluorescents,
On the futon are piled (at night her bed)
Tunics, flip-flops, t-shirts, and jeans.
I _______, young woman with bursting bra
Was voyeur to the scene, and guessed the rest-
I, too, awaited the expected guest.
He, the old man millionaire, arrives,
A large corporation's VP, with three ex-wives,
One of the few on whom security weighs
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The time is now come, as he pops Viagra,
The night has ended, she is worn and wary,
Ventures to engulf her in a kiss,
She still is unmoved
08/24/2006 Author's Note: Modelled after lines 173 through of "The Wasteland". I have several revisions forthcoming.
Line 173-174: The use of the word 'augmented' is a reference to the rise in sea level attributed to global warming. Artic current and arid beaches are meant to signify the melting ice caps.
Line 178: '6-pack rings' is included here to remind the reader of the environmental movement to urge consumers to cut their plastic 6-pack rings before disposing of them so that marine wildlife wouldn't become entangled in them when and if they found their way from landfill to open sea. Whether the danger to marine life is an urban myth or not, I do not know.
Line 180: Skittled of course is not a word, but I employ it here regardless to invoke the many-colored properties of both tropical fishes and the popular candy Skittles. Taste the Rainbow.
Line 181: In reference to the loss of coral reefs due to pollution.
Line 182: The 'Gulf Shores' is an obvious reference to the devestation that Hurricane Katrina wrought on the region.
Lines 185-186: Naval references herein are greatly influenced by the works of Patrick O'Brian and Herman Melville.
Line 200: 'Donuts' is perhaps a stretch, but is meant to represent the various and obvious plot holes common in the Gilligan's Island television program, of which I've admittedly seen few episodes. I chose a less common spelling simply because I thought it looked better than the more traditional spelling of doughnuts.
Line 202: Translation from French: "And the chatter of dolphins, playing in the wake."
Line 206: 'Hup hup' is a command used by trainers of guide dogs to gently remind them to remain attentive to their duty. I became aware of this term while watching an episode of the children's cartoon "Clifford the Big Red Dog"
http://members.chello.nl/~a.vanarum8/EliotProject/Waste_notes/Waste_A.htm
Posted on 08/24/2006
Copyright © 2025 Lacy D Phillips
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