OTI:two poems and notes:7/8/17

Open To Interpretation

 

Sometimes

 

Oh,

To the sailors,

They were four savages

With filed sharp savage teeth

Pearlescent in their mouths

Sometimes grinning

Sometimes laughing

Sometimes hidden

Behind dead serious demeanor

While the Play was the thing.

Upon gunpowder kegs they sat

In a place of honor upon the poop deck

Elevated over the crew

Below across the deck;

The healthy

Seated cross legged,

The scurvy made weak

Sprawled, supported

Half upright by the healthy

So all could see forward

The lamenting Ghost

Prowling an open deck space

Beneath the forecastle,

Prince Hamlet above

On his parapet

Looking about to fathom

The ghostly mystery

That brought knocking to his knees

Trembling to his hands

Temerity to his voice

Stark terror to the four

African chieftains from Sierra Leone.

The Indie ship Red Dragon's

Captain and First Mate,

Seated on their kegs,

Looked on the Africans

With amusement.

"Assure them,"

Said the Captain

To the Trader, their go between

For language,

"Assure them it is all but fantasy."

Persuaded but barely,

The four Chiefs smiled,

And soon caught on

To the Prince of Denmark's dilemma,

And saw that their backward hosts

Were not so different

But could use some counsel

On the assent of Kings.

"Oh,

That is very good!"

Translated the Trader.

"How so?"

Asked the Captain

Seeing all the Chiefs pointing

To starboard, out to the night sea.

"The giant squid!"

Said the Trader.

"God save us all!"

Said the Captain.

"That is no

Fantasy."

Traders

The Giant Black Squid

Gathered up all it could,

Which for the most part,

The scurvy ridden

Too weak to move,

The Chiefs

Happy with the Play's animation

And unperturbed,
Tentacle lifted overboard,

And the players

Whose curiosity got the better

Of their feet's judgment

As from their forecastle vantage

They had seen

Nautilus surface beside

Indie ship Red Dragon.

The rest of the crew

Scrambled below decks

And battened the hatches.

The Giant Black Squid

Slipped softly back

Into the becalmed night dark sea.

Just as sudden

Had the commotion come upon

Things, things now were quiet.

The Captain and his officers

Were no more risen from their kegs

And pausing to consider

Than they were left with an

Empty deck,

Except for Nemo,
The disguised Trader, 

Who stood now on the deck,

Arms akimbo looking up

At the Captain.

"And who might you be,

Hamlet's father?"

Asked the Captain.

Nemo thought long on this,

But let it pass.

"I've pressed into my service

Some of your crew,

Those you likely won't miss,

Those sick, those actors,

Those strangers to you.

There was no time to dicker

But I have left in trade

Compensation on your starboard side.

I have it your new enterprise

Is in need of early success.

What is but ballast to me

You will find dear."
Said Nemo,

And Nemo pivoted and quickly

Returned to the Nautilus

Which was submerging

As the Captain and his officers

Reached the railing in pursuit.

"Another beast, Captain."
Said the Captain's First Mate.

"So it would seem."

Said the Captain.

And on seeing the left behind

Treasures in the left behind

Canoes of the Chiefs,

His First Mate asked,

"Is that all real!?"

The Captain smiled, said,

"There are more things

In heaven and earth..."

DolphinWords

Notes:  There were too many ways to go with this!...so kind of took one of the easier ones...the story of the Chiefs was found in the Red Dragon story...that story of Hamlet being performed recorded in the Captain's diary, some think is a forgery...Thursday evening I rolled over to the Gypsy Den, 121 North Broadway about...they have an open mic night...very nice venue...a restaurant with light fare and drinks...had a turkey half a sandwich, soup, and my one beer, while listening to guitarist play their tunes and sing...place has a high ceiling, one of those makeovers of old downtown buildings...much like the restaurants around the Regent in Los Angeles, where about too restaurants and art venues are trying to make a go of things...walking about to find the place, I happened upon galleries and other bars and restaurants with entertainments and such...not many people about, so it is all very low key...I have to take the cameras along...they do have readings there too, but all that presented to the mic were the guitarists...maybe it is always the guitarists...maybe even with my messed up fingers I can strum a tune and make a song...must say of late I'm really leaning to poems being with music...very nice place, and expensive...handed a twenty to the waitress, and got 30 cents back!...and no ones in my wallet for tip, so tipped five...hmmph...and four for parking garage...the streets being clean and quiet at twilight and evening, it might be a good place to walk Maya my dog...not so many people and dogs about for her to go bananas over like at Mile Square, the Beach, or even hereabout in the neighborhood or going up West Street...and traffic goes slow...thereabout in Old Town Santa Ana, plenty for her to explore, and me too!...Oh...tomorrow night off to see Kitten again at club called The Wayfarer in Costa Mesa...this very close by!...Update 7/16...the Trader in the first was kind of awkward...light bulb!...that's Nemo!...so adjusted Nemo's appearance in the second part with:

Except for Nemo
The disguised Trader, 

Who stood now on the deck,

Arms akimbo looking up

 

:)

DavidDavid