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Words: 122 | Format: ABAB 

Author's Note: Been a little while since a poem. I was stuck on this one for a while, originally attempting an ABCB poem but I couldn't reconcile my use of language and the attempting at scanning and meter to make it work. I reverted to an ABAB and opted for a scan of all A lines operating by 5 syllables and all B lines operating by 6 syllables. In terms of the mechanical nature of the poem, the rhyming is acceptable but I believe I've still failed to properly scan this poem. I need to study systems of scansion further, I believe. 

This was also an attempt to use creative metaphor with a poem without directly engaging with the subject matter this poem is about. To clarify, I was inspired by recent reading of the 1837 Racer's Hurricane, named for HMS Racer which was nearly sunk by the storm. Expediting the history lesson, the hurricane caused damage in parts of the Bahamas, Mexico, and the Southwestern and Southeaster United States. Sunk by the storm was the SS Home off of Cape Hatteras, with 40 survivors out of 130. 

I was particularly moved by the Currier & Ives lithograph depicting the Home aground only 300 feet from shore and breaking up in an insurmountable sea. The fact that the ship was called Home also added to the tragedy in my interpretation. Having wanted to write a shipwreck poem for the month of October, and Home having sunk in October 1837, it seemed fitting to write about it. But I did not want to directly engage with the ship's plight as I wanted to describe the tragedy via a struggle that is lost but there is a peace in death from the sea, storms, and life in general, represented by coming home after a hard journey. 

I attempted this in my last poem, Recusant's Remnant, another shipwreck poem, which felt more like creative/poetic narrative than creative metaphor. This poem feels like it landed closer to my goal, but some of the language might still be too telling. As well, I'm not sure the language in the latter stanzas are evocative enough to convey home and family as a metaphor for peace. As well, the poem's title feels weak but necessary. 

All in all, I'm not completely satisfied both with the creative aspect or the mechanical aspect, but I think it meets enough criteria to be worthy of sharing. 

Links: 

Poetry Folder: www.deviantart.com/ambrosevox/…

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