Five Poems by Wayne F. Burke

 

Sun Set on the Gulf

I slept from midnight to

8 a.m.

uninterrupted by nature

or telephone.

The ocean outside the hotel window

looks peaceful,

friendly even;

it's fury is all underneath, waiting

like the day

to emerge;

meanwhile, the

waves sweep in--

clear, translucent;

golden ripples on the seafloor, the

lattice work of sun and

green glass waters...

I cannot hear the sea roar

from where I sit

(11th floor)

only the hush

of white foam

soothing

as a lullaby.

Oh Radiance

a silver swath sword

cut across the

wide blue Gulf;

the wash of waves

working their way to shore--

sun rays like tentacles, the

sea darkening

dark,

sun dappled sparkle

cloud tops along horizon

lemon-yellow

the southern says

'hasta la vista'

from its cloudy bed.

Sunset # 12

lemon-yellow sun a dot

on the exclamation point of

a golden streak from

shore to horizon:

fool's gold, a dreamy end

of waves rolling home;

roar of the breakers and

silent sun; cobalt blue

sea a churned field of

divots, ripples, cross-

hatched wrinkles...

Molten yellow glob on the

horizon, coronation of

clouds in golden beams--

I give this sunset a '10.'

Now I have the sea;

fierce, unrelenting, and

never ending, unlike me.

Sunset # 17

green jade sea and

blue cloud scene

painted by Maxwell Parrish--

waves rolling, breaking

frothing onto shore

where a guy walks alone,as

another sits with upraised

fishing pole--a mauve background.

A trawler on the curved brim

of ocean, orange streak

by Clyfford Still and

touch of gold orange reflection

on Army green Navy

blue, red specks

in the cloudy seam:

the eyes of the sunset

looking back at me.

2nd cup of coffee

and the last morning

yawn

as the great spider shines down

silvering the skein of ocean

divot-ed by waves moving

leisurely across the Gulf

wide as the biggest mouth

ever opened

and talking in a megaphoned

whisper

that everyone hears

but none

understand.

Wayne F. Burke's poetry has been widely published in print and online (including in LOTHLORIEN POETRY JOURNAL). He has published 8 poetry collections and one book of short stories. He lives in Vermont.