Gorgonian Chant

[dwells]

Jellyfish hearts pulsating
In a saline symphony
While the zooplankton
Lash the phytoplankton
With protoplasmic flagella
For photosynthesizing
In the light of day

Until darkness descends
And those darling diatoms
Ascending from the abyss
Fearlessly phosphorescing
In the crystalline perfection
Of their garish geometries
To a microscopic melody of mayhem

Then an atonal alarm of anguish
Of toxic rigor mortis rhythms
Heralding the red tide arrival
With an infectious interlude
The flagellations faltering
As jellyfish heartbeats
Still to silence

The saline symphony
Now morose and manic
Bellicose blue-green algae dirge
Sedimentation in a minor key
Hydroids harmonizing dissonance
While the corals cry
In a chorus
Of death


some saltwater mayhem with musical metaphors, enjoy!

[tangerinepie]

This is my kind of poem, electric with choice wording that always makes me high.It truly is a symphony of underwater delights, and above all the motion of the piece is fabulous..TY..Tangie..

[Dew]

Loved the sound of this one! The consonance was obscenely wonderful...never too much of a good thing. The deliciously long and complicated words further lent the idea of classical symphony to your piece...and I loved 'gorgonian'...a great wordplay. I must say, this is very impressive! Lots and lots of work evident in your word choice...a work of heart! - dew

[dwells]

Appreciate the kind words Tangie and glad you caught the rhythm I was trying to convey, and for Dew - I was a zoologist many moons ago, so not that much of a stretch. Gregorian Chant was a bit of a reach - cheers and thanks to you both!

[songofmeadow]

The sonics are standout and slow the reader down in a way that allows the underwater cacophony to be heard and visualised. Lovely use of alliteration and an original and interesting nature poem mx

[Sasha]

Yes, I was going to say that this studied poem is written by someone who knows just what they are talking about; capturing wonderful details and putting them all in a neat work!
Jellyfish are wonderful creatures by the way they look, and I like the focus on that, and I don't know, the twist in the middle made me think of man's corruption that reached even the water, silencing the aquatic life underneath.
Rich diction, wonderful alliterations, and gripping poem!

Sash

[Hope]

Great use of alliteration and oh so much energy in this poem.A great gorgonion chant.Wonder if the monks sing it?Hope

[dwells]

SongofMeadow, Sasha, and Hope (welcome to TPS!) - thanks for the wonderful comments all, and Hope - the title was wordplay on the chanting Gregorian monks under Pope Gregory as I recall (gorgonians are sea fans and small plantlike creatures with stinging cells that grow on the undersides of rocks). But then you probably already know this too. Cheers all!

[JASON]

3rd time I've read this now and what a solid piece of work -
stunning actually - I've heard of red tide but never seen it...
your ending is spectacularly sad.
This was really enjoyed - thank you.

[dwells]

Thanks Jason and maybe my marine biology courses did reap some saving grace back in the 70's cheers!

[dornicks]

A symphony of words,most of which I'd never come across,but that and the flow of this piece make it for me. Congratulations on the Spotlight,

dornicks

[karrie]

This is such a wonderful write! Much enjoyed reading and congrats on the Spotlight!

[LorettaYoung]

Congratulations dwells; this was really beautiful. Wonderful rhythmic musical flow brings me to a whole new world of the magnificence of the ocean and it's life; invaded as everything by man ignorance. A pleasure to read. Loretta

[dwells]

Vinny, Karrie, and Loretta - thankyou very much for the plaudits and I think I need to put more of an effort into my poems sometimes, but then it would be like working with an alcohol-free muse to keep me motivated; taking applications - cheers! - Dan