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Valiant Men
The sailors brave the angry storm
__As waves the ocean brings.
It seems to them one hundred years
Of fighting death despite their fears,
__Like ancient warring kings.
The frigid water stings their hands
__And chills their sodden skin.
But they confront the ghastly howls
And fight with death as thunder growls,
__To reach their land and kin.
The valiant men unite as one
__And bravely surge ahead.
No wave, or grave, their will can break
Nor dim the morning light to wake;
__They fight for life instead.
But there, behind a swelling wave,
__A larger one, they see.
And so they pray their ship holds out
As they again attempt to rout
__A sanguinary sea.
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Angel L. Villanueva is a poet residing in Massachusetts.
Nicely done, Angel. It made me think of that movie, The Storm, and how so many people have lost their lives at sea. And to think of how, in times past, there was no radar, no Coast Guard, no way of knowing about an impending storm, except perhaps by studying the wind, the sky, the sea itself. Even close to land, the lighthouse was of critical importance.
Very enjoyable poem, nice imagery and phrasing. Well done.
The rhyme scheme and line length added musicality to the piece.
The images are strong. I personally was reminded of Conrad’s short story Typhoon.
Thanks for the read, Angel.
The never-give-up determination of valiant men is the backbone of this atmospheric poem. They are undaunted by the surprise of double extreme waves in the final stanza, leading up to the last-line surprise naming their foe, the “sanguinary sea” in contradiction to its color. Well done poem with an unusual stanza rhyme scheme, xabba. The unrhymed first line of each stanza, to me, reflects the unexpected challenge of each surge or gust. The combination of tetrameter and trimeter lines (43443) differs a bit from the rhyme pattern, thus representing unruly nature in another way.
Poems of adventure and challenge at sea have long been a moving topic of unique attraction to this day, which still bears the necessity to valiance. The oceans and seas hold intrigues unknown to most, which makes it an alluring topic. Nice form, was not detracted by the unrhymed first line, as the proceeding rhyme and meter was strong. Powerful imagery and phrasing and enticing to the imagination. Well done.