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They say the sea sometimes gets fits of rage
Flailin' about like a waterlogged beast
And suckin' air in torrents
You aint seen torrents, they say,
'Till you see the sky screams
But sometimes the beast ain't a beast, see.
Sleeps like a babe 'gainst the bosom
Murmuring somewhat no one knows but a mother
And we got none of those 'round here.
But then sometimes it ain't neither beast nor babe
Just stilled unquiet that shakes the bones
They got tales of great holes in the sea
Where the sea ain't partial to sharin' holes
Tales of death gulls made from cloud and foam
Or the purple drowned crawlin' up from the sand
Legends don't spring from mud, you know
They say you gotta worship the sea
Call her ma'am and mistress to woo her mercy
And when your mistress got a belly
That could swallow up a mountain,
And you too, real easy,
You quick don't see much harm in worship
I learned after the deed was done, see
And 'cause you're here, so did you.
If you were a learned man,
(Though 'cause you're here, you're not,)
And if I had to tell one learned thing,
It would be somewhat I wished I knew before
The death gulls and purple drowned
Ain't the stuff of legends, to be sure
The sea's foul little crowd done us in good
And there ain't a way out, in case you're thinkin'
Sixty-four years, with my share of screaming,
And I got nothin' to show for it.
And unless you're one of the lucky ones,
Close 'nough to poke through,
(And there's only been two of those, I've heard,)
Then you might as well hole up for good.
Author's Note: I have not yet returned. I will not reply in the BBS or by Y-Mail.
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