POEM OF THE DAY BY STEVE BRIDGENS

ALL NOW SUNK AND LONG AGO


I started hearing stories about the sea long ago
about the Phoenicians sailing everywhere fearlessly
in their little lateen rigged ships of olive wood and
Syrian cedar, trading with the lost tribes

I heard about Odysseues and his long journey home
after the mythic little war and Aeneas and Jason,
I heard about them, they shipped out, leaving Troy
and Carthage in flames

I heard, too, about Cleo and Tony, the young lovers
it didn’t turn out so well for them at sea, as I recall-
those crazy kids, thinking they could get over on
the evil empire

They almost had it made until she turned tail at
Actium, rowing home to Egypt where she took the
little asp to her breast as it all fell apart, abandoning
Tony to twist in the dry Egyptian wind that still blows
in from that wine dark sea

And, as I said, the big ships with the big guns like
the thousand that Menelaus sent after Helen (that
little bitch)

all now sunk, and long ago gone, like me, trapped,
burning and drowned in your tawny tiger eyes


-Steve Bridgens