by Damian Balassone
When night has fallen from the sky
I light the dark with loving eye,
I stand above the angry sea,
above the gulls that circle me.
I stand above the angry sea,
yet sailors cannot fathom me,
ignoring my rotating light
I shine on them from lonely heights.
Ignoring my rotating light,
they lose themselves within the night,
but still I long to set them free;
if they would fix their eyes on me!
I stand above the angry sea,
a thousand miles from Kingston quay,
and though lost travelers pass me by,
I light the night with loving eye.
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About the author...
Damian Balassone lives in Australia. His writing has appeared in a variety of Australian and international publications, including Overland, Arena Magazine, Eureka Street, Australian Rationalist, New Formalist, Lucid Rhythms, Time of Singing, tongues of the ocean, and Green Left Weekly. His second full-length volume of poetry is forthcoming from Ginninderra Press in 2013. His work was recently included in And the Crowd Goes Wild!, an anthology of sports poems for children.
About Anansesem
This is a really beautiful poem. It flows so easily; so simple yet so deep …
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. I love the way repetition is used here.
ReplyDeleteA great spiritual notion of the lighthouse standing above all and emanating hope, guidance and love to passersby. Possesses a consistent simple metrical rhythm (tetrameter) that makes for a nice flow.
ReplyDeleteConsider an alternate last verse that builds on the rhythm of repeating the third line of each stanza, adds to the narrative and reinforces the symbolism:
But still I long to set them free,
drifting souls from the Kingstown quay.
Keep the light, by morn you'll be free
To meet with others and matey.