“Sea Swell”

for Rob Steenhorst the artist

Now,
some incline to travel o’er the lands, on hooves well shod, with saddles oiled
and girth straps tight,
graceful riders stirrups measured, find their seat and with an easy rein
outstretched, prepare to cover miles by night.

And so it was a man set out to ride under the rising light, the moon’s full glow in its
ascent would be his totem skyward, providing him that needed long range sight .
But moons are not the only ones, affected by the ebbs and flows of heavens fickle stride.
The seas can be a wandering voyager, drunk and reeling dangerously upon the
moonshine tides.

This night passed into history, the churning river mouth washed in a swell,
flooding brackish water over Spring- high river banks and pasture lands.
The water flowed across the road, that sudden sea swell sweeping upstream everything
it chanced to meet, including live stock caught, then buried in the roiling sands.

The brave and hapless rider, mounted on his gaited bay, was pulled under the surge,
knocked out by rocks, a prisoner tangled in debris, held down until he drowned.
A town woke up to tragedy, all counting heads of loved ones in the family,
and neighbors grabbed their boats and oars, while sirens wailed their sound.

The midnight horse-backed wanderer was finally carried out to sea, where it took three
days for waves to send him back, that he might be buried properly.
But all say it was a miracle how those Thompson brothers in their little boat,
found his frightened bay six miles upstream paddling in the foam afloat.
The youngest finally tied him to the stern, and to their credit and their glory,
they rowed him back to safer shores,  pure-blind-luck’s survivor of this story.

Karina Hoisan – June 9, 2011
Renacer LINC Island SL

Blog – https://karimahoisan.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/sea-swell/