Storm at Sea

Storm at Sea by Pieter Brueghel the Elder

Storm at Sea
by Tasha Chinnock

Why throw off balast?
Its too late for precautions
Swells bounce
Every which way
Birds circle
in black of sky
Wreckage of ships and
of nature herself
A gutted whale
Headless, ship
without a sail
Here in this aqua eye
a beacon from below
exposes the ruin
But the far off shore city
enjoys sunlight and seagulls
the latter perhaps a little
fatter for the storm fishing
Tiny pillows of overturned vessels
sideways sails
dot their horizon
looking restful at such a safe distance
No muffled screams
reach their ears
above the roar of wind and wave
and screeching scavengers
You are alone, desolate.
Nought but deep stillness awaits you.

The Misanthrope

The Misanthrope by Pieter Brueghel the Elder

The Misanthrope
by Tasha Chinnock

There is a little
of the misanthrope
in all of us

and who can blame you
to have reached
your winter years

and still have all
the filthy, smiling beggars
pilfering your heart.

Oh, to fold my own
tired hands
and turn a dark shoulder

to the sheep
and their stooping shepherd
and the miller beyond

to become a part of
the greying expanse
of sky

and blend with
the shadows
of a nearby wood.

(c) Tasha Chinnock 2007

Two Monkeys

" Two Little Monkeys" by Brueghel the Elder



Two Monkeys

It looks like a lovely imprisonment
Situated high on the wall
A view of the sea
boats in the harbor
salt air tousling fur

But imprisonment itself
goes against their nature
their ape eyes are wild
not docile and tame
what torture to see it all from afar

Theirs is a sad, powerless state
nut shells litter the little cell
seagulls laugh at their captivity
some vain owner calls
the painter for their portrait.

(c) Tasha Chinnock 2007