In the Presence of Greatness

IV. The Diving Post

Lone and jutting from the wave brushed sea

I waited long for him to climb up me.

Once a summer he’d make a single trip

To my lonely beach to take a dip.

He would swim a hundred feet from shore

To take a single dive and not one more.

III. The Pier Column

Barnacled, I raised my load so light

In my row I stood so true and right

And once a month she’d be coming down

To the coast by this fast dying town.

She’d walk the planks past me down to the end

And watch the sea pass by just like a friend.

II. The Evergreen

A blaze of green I stood so proud and tall

Until that day when my turn came to fall.

A man came with an eye patch and a brace

And looked at me with sun upon his face.

He felled me there, in land becoming stark

And took off his glove to touch my gnarled bark.

I. The Sapling

Awake with waiting till my time would come

To be between his finger and his thumb

And from his bag of forest he grabbed me

To place me in the soil to form a tree.

Upon a stump nearby, he sat to eat

And shed some silent tears into his meat.

V. The Carving

Now I stand upon a shelf austere

With memories in moments through the years.

She found me there along the beach one day

A chunk of driftwood, weathered, dried and grey.  

She carved and whittled something out of me,

Something always waiting for her to see.

On a Diamond Fringed in Dark

Biking home from class one night

Through an empty city park

Glimpsing gave me quite a fright

On a diamond fringed in dark

Calmly sitting on the mound

In dark gloom’s obscurity

I was shocked at what I’d found

Staring fearless back at me

Two black eyes in shadows gleamed

Also twitching black tipped ears

Took me in - I thought I dreamed

Both of us forgetting fears

I stood beneath a harsh park light

While under moonless clouded sky

He sat regal, that feral sprite

So I thought to coax him nigh

And to my complete surprise

After I just clicked my tongue

He came close with watchful eyes

That small red fox so brave, so young

And when within ten feet he came

He sniffed and watched me close with care

Head atilt and tale aflame

He wondered at my prolonged stare

But then some noisy passers-by

Startled brave but wary fox

To his throne he sauntered spry

Upon his noiseless white-trimmed socks

And when I told of what I’d seen

Speaking of our short rapport

Their lack of interest was obscene

They said they’d seen it all before

Perhaps those passers were correct

Our odd meet was not the first

But is it best to just neglect

Beasts in urban lands immersed?

When the park was once more free

And I in thinking silence stood

The fox came back to question me

To see just what a strange thing would

Looking downwards at his grin

I threw this city fox a bite

He poked the crumb with his white chin

And sniffed to check if it’s alright

He wolfed his tiny morsels down

And opened wide his mouth to chew

Vigilantly he checked around

To see if I had more to strew

Once I’d lingered long enough

I left hardly making a sound

He watched me closely from the rough

Then strolled back to his noble mound

How long he stayed upon his throne

And watched over his whole domain

That I know I will not own

Perhaps I’ll see him once again

We all need silent stops at night

Inside gardens, beach or park

You never know what waits your sight

On a diamond fringed in dark




(I wrote this for my creative writing class, it's also a true story. Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/permuted)


http://jinglepoetry.blogspot.com/