A time away, made now, forever (Gitche Gumee)

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Nightmute
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A time away, made now, forever (Gitche Gumee)

Postby Nightmute » Tue May 12, 2015 4:07 pm





"Does anyone know where the love of God goes /
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
"
~Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
=========================================
We rode by the rail
as the ship bore the swell,
and our hands gripped angry, like vices.
No city folk know
of the trials down below,
and dressed in sweat, in the hulls, such suffices.

She stayed straight her keel,
and was sweet on her wheel,
as we raised our hands up with much vigor.
And she climbed and she scaled,
on each wave that was felled,
as we worked with all backs bent in hard rigor.

She slipped from her moor,
with her prophecy in store,
and her sights set on making good headway.
But the winds and the waves
lean the way that fate paves,
and oft leaves one in prayer, without much to say.

If you don't believe in God,
well, you still give Him a nod,
though the devil might watch you go under.
And so came to pass,
when Gitche Gumee, with sass,
came to claim their proud ship, torn asunder.

The poor souls of the doomed,
on whom she vented and fumed,
made to lose their lives in less than a moment.
And how chapel bells rung
while the distraught families clung,
and the doomed, at her bottom, lay dormant.

She was valiant and true,
and was staid in her blue,
yet she bore her fate much as another.
And on that long, listing line,
of cold, salty-grimed brine,
claimed my tears, as I lost more than one brother.

And she swift rode the swell,
and so fated, she fell,
with sons and daughters left now to wonder
on thoughts of just what might have been
had the hulls not caved in,
and taken their fathers down under.

Such times come about,
with a shivering shout,
as Superior lets loose her danger.
But still remember, we,
of those who fought valiantly,
yet these times, in our loss, feel no less stranger.

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Cindy
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Re: A time away, made now, forever (Gitche Gumee)

Postby Cindy » Wed May 13, 2015 12:51 pm

Great poem. Beautifully written. I love the video you put with it too.

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Stella
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Re: A time away, made now, forever (Gitche Gumee)

Postby Stella » Wed May 13, 2015 6:08 pm

It is good that we remember and recall tragedies for it helps us in remembrance of such dreadful happenings which otherwise may never be retold to younger generations.
Your telling was wonderful Richard and i found this most poignant:

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes /
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
~Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

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Karin Anderson
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Re: A time away, made now, forever (Gitche Gumee)

Postby Karin Anderson » Thu May 14, 2015 10:45 am

This is indeed a poetic adventure for me and all achieved through your brilliant crafting of the unraveling story. I also love the video you have included. Your vocabulary always amazes me and I feel honored to read this masterpiece about a disaster I did not even realize had happened Richard!

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Fay Slimm
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Re: A time away, made now, forever (Gitche Gumee)

Postby Fay Slimm » Sat May 16, 2015 12:14 pm

Richard your words never fail to enlighten and interest the reader and this well-told story touches our need to retell and remember the lost souls at sea and those who shed tears at their doom. Great poetic effort and video to match. Thank you my friend for enabling us feel the reality of such desperate happenings.

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Simply Bono
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Re: A time away, made now, forever (Gitche Gumee)

Postby Simply Bono » Sun May 17, 2015 7:24 pm

totally an outstanding write Richard.. really enjoyed the read & I've always loved this haunting song .. ( The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald )...

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ken.brandli
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Re: A time away, made now, forever (Gitche Gumee)

Postby ken.brandli » Mon May 18, 2015 8:25 am

Also a long time fan of 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' by Gordon Lightfoot. This piece has the same sense of pathos, and is a fine dedication to those who go to sea and face the dangers as so many mariners have before them,


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