every wreck

wrought iron
carcass
of harboured regrets
lying dormant under
turgid heavy swell
holding what
could have been
without air or fear
this skeleton of
wood, bone and dream
the canvas
a death blanket
where bodies
once joined
suffocated
and perished
with the tide
every wreck a scar
on our collective skin
treasures to hoard
and forget
all those ships
you once loved
left to rot
and decay
inside


Raymond Grenfell (Western Australia)
First published on Raymond's blog An attempt at humanity through attempted poetry?