The White Ship (32) Poem by David McLansky

(32) The White Ship


The cold indifferent restless sea
That swallows lives so haplessly,
Chills my lungs, my heart, my breath
And draws me down despite protest

But I awake, I do not drown,
I feel the dryness of my gown,
It was a dream, the choking waters,
The waving arms of Neptune’s daughters

But oh, the fear, the cold black depths,
The Nereid’s’ song that draws no breath,
They pulled me by the ankles down
What pain to die, what pain to drown!

But I am safe, relieved from dread,
I’m safe within my cabin bed,
I’m on a ship, I now remember
A ship of white in cold December.