Monday, August 14, 2006

Georgia Coast Sampler

Scrub oaks belly-bowed,
scaly-skinned beach guardians,
too many blows to stand tall,
not ready to lay down.

Spanish Bayonets—
yucca gloriosa,
remembering wars lost
flying white-blossom flags.

Brown pelicans
endangered, but surviving,
fall from the sky—
dinner guests uninvited.

Barrier islands, like salt licks
to the Atlantic’s tidal tongue,
piney-stubbled, stepping-stones
for hair-down breezes, and
bareback riding, marsh-pony suns.

10 comments:

Pris said...

I've sailed all through there and you picked it up perfectly. Good one!

MB said...

Vivid imagery — you took me there! And I love the way the images get a little jumbled up in the final stanza.

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

Wow. Nice Pat. Very nice feel to this one.

Natalia L. Rudychev said...

One can feel the salt of these waves. I really like the mood that this poem creates.

Margie said...

Wow!
I love this poem!
Your words... so good!
I felt like I was there!

Anonymous said...

"yucca gloriosa"

You going high brow on us now?:)

Very descriptive poem, Pat.

jel said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
polona said...

beautiful imagery, pat! makes me want to be there (and it's hot, right? - something i really miss here)

J. Andrew Lockhart said...

Nice one! :)

Pat Paulk said...

Pris, if it weren't for the oppressive summer heat and BUGS, I'd move back there. The barrier islands and adjacent marshes are beautiful!! Thank you!!

MB, thank you!! Been working on the imagery the last couple of days. It's a wonderful place to go, but Winter is the best time.

Jel, thank you!! It was home for a lot of years.

Thank you Don!! Other than reasons listed above it's a nice place to live.

Thank you Natalia!! I meant to create a laid back feeling to the poem--"hair-down breezes". Glad you got that!!

Thank you Margie!! glad I could take you there.

Learned it from Floots, blame him!! Thank you!!

Polona, it is definitely hot there. We still have it here too. Thank you!!

Thanks Andrew!!