The Victor, a Free Verse Poem; My Response to the Challenge by Annart
Chris has written poetry for 28 years though he focuses on short fiction. But watch out for the occasional twisted nursery rhyme.
Author's Note
This free verse poem is my response to a challenge by Ann Carr, annart on HubPages. Here is the challenge in Ann's words:
Your challenge is to come up with a brilliant description of one of the three photos at the beginning of this hub. Weave that description into a story or poem of some sort. Off you go!
Don’t forget to let me know if you respond to this challenge! Please provide a link so that I can add it to this hub.
The Victor
Craggy cliffs rise up from dark submergence
Into the light of day
To declare as myth
That the sea is boundless.
Waves crash in violent force against the ancient pillars,
Megaliths of the gods.
Yet the rock repels the angry assault,
And the water runs harmlessly down its faceted face.
Sunlight clings to the rock here
And there is repelled by dark crevices of gloom and doom,
That dare the vessels of men to come near,
Too near to escape her hidden perils,
Clawed fingers hidden beneath the breakers.
The cliffs appear to stand forever
Victorious over the elements,
Laughing at the sea,
Indestructible,
Magnificent,
Eternal,
Whose roots go deeper than the ocean itself.
But appearance is a mask,
A veil over what is real.
In its own time,
The sea comes forth
To issue the challenge.
Truth is declared.
An ageless rumor is dispelled
That the mountains and the cliffs are safe.
The sea is angry.
The ocean is jealous.
Like bile from the depths
Its wrath erupts
And assaults the stone until a single crack forms.
The water exploits the fissure.
A fragment gives way
And falls into the greedy depths
To the ever growing scree field
Where the bones of the once mighty seaside cliffs
Are pummeled and ground into sand.
Everything falls before the mighty deep.