THE
SEASHELL
What
is left of this empty seashell
Is
a memory of the distant sea.
The
waves murmur and whisper
Of
unequivocal consolation,
Reminders
of the life beat and urge
To
leave a gift to the world,
Lifeless
but seductive with shades of beige,
Orange
and pearly on the inside,
And
a jagged sculpture with pointed spikes,
Rough
but yet refined, on the outside.
If
it ever reaches the sea,
The
shell will spring to the salty life
And
float in the watery universe.
SINKING
A
half-sunken ship
With
the stern under the sea
And
the prow high in the air
Holds
on to a ragged rock.
Damaged
and empty
She
waits to be washed away
By
merciless waves.
A
long mast, snow-white sails,
A
steel winch and a shiny deck
Tell
of her former glory.
Still
grand but broken,
The
sailboat is doomed
To
join her ancestors
At
the bottom of the sea.
A
flawed life is of no use
To
the living on the surface.
Petar Penda is a professor of English and American literature (University of Banja Luka) and a translator. His translations have been published in renowned journals in the USA and the UK. His poetry was published by "A Thin Slice of Anxiety" and "Trouvaille Review".
What strong, evocative imagery Petar! Phenomenal work here, these are both memorable and so vivid in their descriptions one almost feels transported...
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