The Mariner

Poem by Rocco Valentini

Artwork Sourced from Pinterest. Artist: David Grove.

The Mariner

by Antonio Rocco S. (Rocco Valentini)

In today’s sea of discourse, it’s easy to get seasick;
It feels like you’re a carpenter in a ship’s hull,
With a hole expanding under pressure so quick
It threatens to drown the contents of your skull.

You’re a seafaring Sisyphus—a maritime martyr;
Bailing out the whirlpool of Poseidon’s throne;
Struggling to keep your tricorn from becoming a marker
For an underwater tombstone.

Don’t seal your will in a bottle and cast it ashore;
Make your final stand against the tide;
Drop your anchor to the ocean floor
And let Davy Jones decide.

To your greatest fears you must never succumb;
You needn’t outrun the fates, you need only run out the rum.