On the Slipway

A breeze slipped in from the ocean,
placed foreign kisses
on the boat’s prow
and on a young man’s brow,
promising so much as it skipped

from wave to wave.

It offered the horizon
from the safety
of the slipway.
A voyage
for another day.

Kim M. Russell, 1st June 2002

Fishing Boats On Slipway Priests Cove Stock Illustration 286838825

My response to dVerse Poets Pub Quadrille: Cry Havoc and Let ‘SLIP’ the Dogs of War

Linda is our host this Monday for the 44-word poem we call the Quadrille and she has us slip-sliding away.

58 thoughts on “On the Slipway”

    1. Thank you, Linda. I would have loved a walk along a local beach at the weekend, but they wee all full of people not practising social distancing. The loosening of lockdown rules worries me, so I’m sticking to the football pitch – nobody else goes there – yet.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. The government website still rates the corona virus risk as “high”. I don’t know what is going on – they are making some very strange decisions. Part of me wonders whether they are going for herd immunity after all, and just want to be seen to be acting against this virus. I think you are right to remain cautious. At work we were warned to expect a second wave in July, but I think this will just rumble on.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I’m sure there will be a second wave soon, and that the virus has been around longer than people think. I had a serious chest infection with vomiting back in November, which recurred in December, and then again to a lesser degree in March. I wonder if it mutated during that period. In which case, where did it originate?

        Like

  5. This is gorgeously rendered, Kim 😀 I love; “promising so much as it skipped from wave to wave.” Such excellent imagery in this one! 💝💝

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. I love the rolling sound and rhythm of this, context and composition both evoking the ocean so well. The foreign breezes calling and magically conjoining young man and vessel, Some day he will slip away.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to kim881 Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.