LEADERS - not followers

Saturday, May 1, 2010

MESSAGES

For Writers Island 2010 #1


MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

Too long in exile; dreaming…?
An optical illusion?
The heat of the mid-day sun
Playing more tricks on my eyes?

It couldn’t be a bottle
Not after so many years
Castaway on this island
It just couldn’t be… could it…?

Be absolutely certain
That it is what it appears
Before I build my hopes up
In my feeble state of mind

Handle with extreme caution
Thorough examination
Be sure not to cut corners
It may be my only hope

Vitreous, non-crystalline
Brittle, transparent, solid
Cylindrical container
Formed by rapid melt quenching

Lightweight, Quercus Suber cap
Feint French vineyard aroma
Apellation d’origine…?
At a guess… Provence…? Bordeaux…?

And lo and behold, inside…
Just a small scrap of paper
Derived from cellulose pulp
Or possibly even, rags

On that paper… a message!
A short communication
Transmitted by written words
Containing information…!

Any moment now, I know
This dream will come to an end...
Posted by at

21 comments:

  1. MarjaMay 1, 2010 at 2:26 PM

    Great poem No Bordeaux but a message Would love to know what the message was

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  2. Stan SkiMay 1, 2010 at 2:27 PM

    Thanks Marja; Maybe it was just the label...

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  3. anthonynorthMay 1, 2010 at 2:50 PM

    Nice one with an intriguing ending.

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  4. vivienne blakeMay 1, 2010 at 3:36 PM

    Great stuff, Stan, with your customary twist at the end.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stan SkiMay 1, 2010 at 4:16 PM

    Thanks to:
    Anthony; The way minds work when they have nothing to keep them active.
    ViV; Is the dream the potential message, or his exile...?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gemma WisemanMay 1, 2010 at 4:57 PM

    The closing words "information" and
    "Any moment now, I know
    This dream will come to an end..."
    create a sense of doomed reality. Mysterious and interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Stan SkiMay 1, 2010 at 5:59 PM

    Thanks GT; Everything is a process...

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  8. angieMay 1, 2010 at 10:06 PM

    great job with the prompt -- I love all the descriptions of the bottle & the paper potentially inside.

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  9. AnonymousMay 2, 2010 at 12:34 AM

    Wondering about the *previous* tricks the sun has played. The bottle's nicely done, just enough over the top.

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  10. flaubertMay 2, 2010 at 1:27 AM

    Nicely done as always. But what was the message in the bottle?
    Pamela

    ReplyDelete
  11. InayMay 2, 2010 at 5:51 AM

    putting dram on poem, two thumbs up for you....

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  12. InayMay 2, 2010 at 5:52 AM

    i mean drama typographical error

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  13. Stan SkiMay 2, 2010 at 6:27 AM

    Thanks to:
    Angie; Lonliness makes you look at details.
    Briarcat; Just to make certain.
    Pamela; Drink Responsibly...?
    Inay; Bottle - dram... ? Freud might have something to say about that...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Linda GoinMay 2, 2010 at 7:38 AM

    Ah -- so this is Stan Ski. Thanks for stopping by my blog, but I deleted your message because your link to your Web site didn't go anywhere. I'll see if I can undelete it and change the URL to your site...

    Who drank the wine?

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  15. Stan SkiMay 2, 2010 at 7:56 AM

    Thanks Linda; Don't believe a word... ;)
    Beach party... grain and grape... paralytic... next morning...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Julie Jordan ScottMay 3, 2010 at 3:16 AM

    dreams, dreams, dreams.

    Mmmmmmm.

    Always thinking... eh?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Stan SkiMay 3, 2010 at 6:31 AM

    Thanks Julie; Mind working overtime.

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  18. Andy SewinaMay 4, 2010 at 7:29 AM

    Yeah, love the progression in this and the wake up call at the death!

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  19. Stan SkiMay 4, 2010 at 7:36 AM

    Thanks Andy; What's real and what's reality...

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  20. Wayne PitchkoMay 7, 2010 at 10:17 AM

    good one..Stan...what in a bottle?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Stan SkiMay 7, 2010 at 10:27 AM

    Thanks Wayne; What indeed!

    ReplyDelete

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