by Dilip Mohapatra (July 2015)
Looks like I am done.
My chart blown away
and interred in the wake
of my schooner
no wind on my sails
no stars in the sky
compass awry
satellite navigator busted
and echo sounder dead.
With my engines sputtering
to a deathly silence
I prepare to
shore up the breach
to stop the leaks on the sides
while waiting for
the next high tide
but I drift aimlessly
across the coves
and fiords
studded with jagged rocks
to finally run aground.
I lower the
inflatable life boat
and paddle furiously
battling the surf
and beach my craft
on a stretch of silvery sands
and find myself
marooned in
an uninhabited islet
all to myself
sentenced to solitude.
I pick up my backpack
and my machete
and start hacking the thickets
to make my way through
the bushes
not in search of the treasure
that the buccaneers
might have buried
but looking for the shovel
that might have been left behind
to dig my grave
and ensure certainty
on these uncertain shores.
_____________________________
Dilip Mohapatra (b.1950), a decorated Navy Veteran started writing poems since the seventies His poems have appeared in many literary journals of repute in India and abroad. Some of his poems are included in the World Poetry Yearbook, 2013 along with the works of 211 contemporary poets from 93 countries and few are lined up for its 2014 Edition due in June 2015. A regular contributor to New English Review, he has two poetry collections titled ‘A Pinch of Sun & other poems’ and ‘Different Shades’ to his credit, published by Authorspress India. He holds two masters degrees, in Physics and in Management Studies. He lives with his wife in Pune. His website is here.
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