Popular Posts

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Watery Dreams




What a good idea!
An underwater Sculpture Park.
But whose idea,
to whom the kudos?
Surface Earthlings like ourselves,
or aliens from Under Earth
who've scaled to these enormous heights
above their Under Earthland
and been inspired by what they've found?


Stone comes to life,
the statues live and breathe
and have their being.
Deep beneath the ocean wave
an ancient dream is lived again...


Or is it simply that sea creatures
have made their homes
have colonised
the works of art,
and now blow bubbles -
in which case, are they
friendly messengers
or do they mean to register
"Up Yours!" - at our approach?


My money's on the Under Earthers,
the chance to swim around inside their thoughts...
How good would that be, eh?
To know how beings unlike us
conceive of what we cannot know;
to know them as we know ourselves!


The sea is apt to worry us sometimes,
what might be there and might come out of it
to threaten us on our dry ground..
But none of these will come,
the sculptures here are well behaved.
This is the worry in reverse:
that one of these might be the one
to tempt me from my dry world up above
to live the dream of water and of love.


You can be jilted by a work of art,
it's true. But not by these.
There's nothing here will leave you high and dry.
.................................................
Posted in response to the Magpie Tales prompt.

19 comments:

anthonynorth said...

I see hopes for a better way in this - a hope I share. Excellently done.

Other Mary said...

You are ever thoughtful, though I was tickled with the lines 'or do they mean to register/"Up Yours!" - at our approach?'
and then charmed by your closing, ' one of these might be the one
to tempt me from my dry world up above/to live the dream of water and of love.'
Such good stuff. I never feel jilted by your art.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Love the idea of an underwater sculpture park but don't fancy visiting it Dave.

Mary said...

With the Weaver of Grass, I will let other people visit such a gardens. Glad to hear, however, that in such a garden the sculptures would be well behaved...unlike many of us above water. LOL. Nice write.

Laurie Kolp said...

As much as I love water, I don't think I'd ever be tempted to live a life there. Unique and thought-provoking approach to the prompt, Dave.

Rachna Chhabria said...

I would love to visit a Underwater Sculpture park, Dave. Would be a great experience.

Brian Miller said...

ha fun close on this...i think it would be truly fascinting to visit sucha place...i imagine there is a lot of peace there under water...

Lolamouse said...

Clever ending on this poem, Dave! I enjoyed your interpretation of this Magpie!

Maude Lynn said...

This is such a clever take! I love it!

Maggie said...

I hope no one but the fishies visit it. You are clever, as always. : )

Windsmoke. said...

It certainly would be different a underwater sculpture park its a really good idea :-).

JBinford-Bell said...

I wonder if it will be a base for coral.

Or if in centuries after we are gone someone deduces that it was once above water. Or that the creatures that built it lived in the water.

Your poem got me looking as all the quirky aspects of this garden under the sea.

Cloudia said...

Why have I NOT placed this worthy blog on my sidebar before TODAY?!

Remedied, Dave. The honor is all mine.



Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral

> < } } ( ° >

Isabel Doyle said...

A fish's heaven perhaps? Lovely piece for mer-folk anyway.

Best wishes Isabel of the floppy pink hat

Dave King said...

anthonynorth
Good to hear that. Thanks for saying.

Other Mary
I did almost scrub "up yours". Am still not sure.

The Weaver of Grass
No, nor I, not in my saner moments. Thanks.

Mary
Indeed, I suppose I was having a go...

Laurie
No, it's one of my wild dreams - like having a croft on the West Coast of Scotland.

Rachna
Yes, you can do so much underwater these days - even get married there!

Brian
It would seem so, yes, but I do wonder what we might uncover...

Lolamouse
Much thanks for this. I must say I did enjoy writing it.

Mama Zen
Thank you. Good to know.

thingy
Ah, I was hoping for more than that. Thanks though.

Windsmoke
Thanks. Maybe someone will take it up!

Jacqui
Hi, and a warm welcome to the blog. Interesting thought, that centuries hence someone might think it was once under water. I wonder if that's been done already re sunken cities etc...

Cloudia
Bless you and many thanks! You emind me that I am well overdue to sort out my side bar. Thanks for that.

Isabel

Wonderful thought - and why not?

Ygraine said...

Wow, an underwater world where nothing is as it seems really appeals to me.
Maybe WE are THEIR abovewater sculptures!

Jenny Woolf said...

Lovely idea. And I specially like the last line!

JeannetteLS said...

As always, you take me on an unexpected trip. I've been gone far too long, from your wonderland of a blog.

Kathe W. said...

snorkle! I want to snorkle above it....lovely poem.