keelhauled
but for what crime?
what great offence?
surely your mere breath did not cease the wind
—it still blows
propelling the ship ever forward
surely not your words
—though they did sting;
mosquitos biting flesh
but, they were brushed away
were they not?
did your thoughts violate
some basic law?
did you pollute the sea
with your reality?
No,
Poseidon’s watery domain
is still flowing
—waves still crashing
did your very existence offend?
Yes—That must be it
people despise
what they do not understand
the punishment
doesn’t always
fit the crime
~Melanie Thomason
Loved that.
Thanks!
You are on fire. One after another. The last 5 lines are wonderful and should be on a T-shirt for everyone to see. I love it.
Keelhauled. I had to look this up – thanx for my MW. I know what a keel is and a haul – very clevet piece.
🙂 it’s funny I knew what keelhauled meant… but for some reason in my mind i associated it with pirates….i was surprised that this “punishment” was originally doled out by the Navy.
At some point I realised I was reading it over and over, sometimes one line a couple of times and then moving to another. And every time I was like a scared rabbit, trying to dodge words…
What a wonderful compliment, the idea of you lingering over my words makes me quite happy.