I have walked in silence along your shores,
Have watched the changing patterns of your moods
And heard the songs you sing
To accompany them.
In the still of midnights,
Summer warm and star laden
I have seen you.
Seen your face move gently
In the slow and certain cadence
Of the breath of sleep.
Then, after waking,
In drowsy half awareness,
Toy with a reflection of the moon
And change its shape
Like the distorted mirror in a fun house
Where we used to go on summer holidays.
I have heard the sounds your ships make
Crawling through a fog that covers you
Heard their whistles and their bells
And the voices of their men
Cursing their maker for their blindness;
Praying to their maker for deliverance.
I have seen you in sudden summer rages,
Gray with anger;
Frothing and screaming
And ravaging the land and all upon it.
Taking that to which you have
No rightful claim.
Then, as if remorseful,
I have seen you give freely
Of your treasures.
Seen you fill the holds of fishing ships,
Seen the life’s blood of a nation
Taken from your depths;
Transfused by the towers of steel
That rise above you.
And I have heard your music
When you caress the sandy beaches
Of a certain, far off place….
A secret island place
That no one knows,
But you and me.
~ Jim Metcalf ~
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Jim Metcalf was originally from Texas, he was a newspaper reporter, columnist and, eventually, hosted his own television show, “A Sunday Journal,” on a local New Orleans station from the early 1960′s until illness prevented him from continuing in the mid-1970′s. He was known as the unofficial poet-laureate of the city. He had four books of poetry published, the first titled “In Some Quiet Place.” He died too young and, after all these years, many New Orleanians still miss him…miss the half hour respite he gave the city every Sunday, when he would take us to a quiet place and soothe away our troubles for awhile. Although he’s not with us anymore, we can still find a quiet place in his poetry. As he used to say at the beginning of each show, “Please to begin…..”
I was very happy to rediscover my 2 of 4 books of Jim Metcalf’s poetry the other day. Mr. Metcalf’s poetry spoke volumes to me back in the 1970s, and his words still do today. It is my great pleasure to share them with you on this website.
~ L. Kupfer ~
