PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Georgia Koch
Misty eyes of my girl peek from the cloud,
She never griped yet hunger cried aloud,
And I row out the waves, away from the crowd;
But I won’t sing the boatman’s tune –
Coz its home my home where lies my fortune!
Wiry arms and blistered hands,
Ample catches shifts to barren sands,
God must be at distant lands;
But I won’t sing the boatman’s tune-
Coz its home my home where lies my fortune!
I scour the surf from noon to moon,
Her misty eyes are my bane and boon.
I won’t sing the boatman’s tune –
Coz its home my home where lies my fortune!
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Coming back to Friday Fictioneer’s hosted by die-hard Beetles fan Rochelle ! The prompt automatically made me sing “Bhatiyali” a folk song style of Bengal’s boatmen, and this was in memory to them !
The rest of the Friday Fictions are at the froggy link below:
Abode of Horus 
Reblogged this on In search of rain and commented:
Boatman’s Tune
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Four entries in and half of them poetry. There’s something about boats that brings out the poet in people. Lots of atmosphere in this.
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I agree! 🙂
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I do love a good poem and this is great. Should the second line read hunger though?
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Thank Loiuse! and yes – thanks again for the correction 🙂
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Horus,
This is a different sort of sea shanty. It seems our hero doesn’t love the sea as much as the average sailor. Then again, it strikes me that he might be Irish, in which case he probably longs for fair Ireland whenever he is at sea and yearns for the salt spray when he is home in Ireland. As my wife often says, “Home is where you’re not.”
Cheers!
MG
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MG, highly possible for him to be an Irish, or a Bengali, or for that matter a Chilean 😀
For these men the sea is what they need to endure – in order to have a smile at home ! Thanks for taking time to read and comment !
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Lovely! This has such rhythm, it’s like being in a boat on calm waters.
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Thanks Alicia ! Dunno about the waters, but may be the rhythm calms the waves inside 🙂
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Lovely poem, excellent choice of words.
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Thanks Loré for your time and comments 🙂
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This sounds like it should be sing in a tavern by the harbor with deep voices and a lot of beer…
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Excellent ambiance Björn ! 🙂
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loved the poetic form
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Thanks Patricia – great to know you loved it 🙂
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This photo calls out ballad, or poetry. You have done both beautifully. Really moving and wonderfully written.
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Thanks Dawn – I couldn’t stop humming as soon as I saw the prompt this time 🙂
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Nicely done interesting poem that conveys the seafaring life. Although I woudn’t know for sure because I get nauseous in the bathtub. But very enjoyable and I’m hoping to find “where lies my fortune” too.
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Thanks for liking Perry! You may try wearing a life jacket before stepping in the bathtub 😉
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Lovely poem, capturing loneliness of a seafaring man.
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Thanks for reading and liking Sally !
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This could be a sea chanty sung by seamen down through the ages. I love what you did with this story.
Aloha,
Doug
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That felt great coming from you, Doug!
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Nice poem. I like the sense of anticipation and longing that is around it.
-David
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You know such a nice comment from one of the most admired writers around means a lot to me 🙂
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I liked this poem on my first reading, Horus. Then I just went to YouTube and found and listened to The Boatman Song and read your poem again. What great music! Maybe like the Cajun songs from my Louisiana – can’t tell if it’s a sad song or a happy one…I liked where you went with the photograph.
Ellespeth
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Thanks Ellespeth. Glad that you heard the songs.. guess I should have included one in my post itself.
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Great sea shanty. I am going to have to go and listen to the Boatman song now…..
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Am sure you would love them more Irene. Thanks for your comment.
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Love the repeated couplet. Great stuff.
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Thanks Patrick – great to have you around.
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Great verse filled with longing.
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Glad that I was able to reverberate the right emotion – thanks for your appreciation Joseph !
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🙂
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Great poem – though I think it begs to be sung! I especially like the repeated couplet. 🙂
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I guess it has to be sung – thats how it emerged in my head. Thanks for your visit and the appreciation.
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I always admire those who not only rise to the challenge of 100 word stories, but do so in poetry! Well done.
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Thanks for your admiration – glad that I was up to my readers’ expectation. 🙂
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Great job – maybe you could set it to music and it would make a good sailing song! Nan 🙂
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Thanks Nan – may be I would in time 😀
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Technical side: After 4 lines, give extra line space.
Keep the poem in multiple of 4 lines. i.e. 4 lines, 8 lines, 12 lines, 16 lines etc.
it will help in reading. beyond 4, our eyes get confused.regards – http://YourWellWisherProgram.wordpress.com
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