For KK’s Flashback Track Friday prompt. Her music was A Whiter Shade of Pale and she was thinking along the lines of forming a new colour from an existing colour..
I went a few places on this one. My idea straight away was the sea, the sky, the beach, and the million different colours that we collectively label “blue”. Then, the weather changes slightly and we have a million more.
So I wrote a few lines very much as a work in progress. So much has been written about the sea that there is no way I could hope to come up with anything decent in the time available. But I did start off with a clear image in my head.
The waves lap gently on the reef,
From strand, a whitish hue,
They proffer not the world beneath,
Composed of deepest blue.
A paradise, a gently breeze,
Light foam upon the shore,
But change the weather, and observe,
Chastisement lies in store.
The fish abate, the mermaids flee,
seek shelter from the eye,
The secrets of foreboding sea,
Beneath an ashen sky
In 2003 we had a week’s vacation down deep in the south of France. We gained respite from the soaring temperatures by at least being on the shores of the Mediterranean. We were right on the Bassin de Thau, which is essentially an enormous lagoon. Outside, you have open sea. Inside, it is sufficiently tranquil that all you see is row upon row of oysters being farmed.
I’ve kinda got into the habit of posting a song when I complete this post, and this week shall be no different. A famous French song, reputedly written in 10 minutes flat, by a young entertainer, Charles Trenet, as he skirted the Bassin de Thau by train, in wartime France.
This song is famous and has been covered in English, but I’ll link to the original today. The English translation can be found here.
Mister Bump 
Not sure why you would disparage yourself, this poem is soft and shifts just like the sea. Iridescent. Enjoyed.
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thanks KK, I’ve stored it (I normally just let them go) because I think there’s definitely room for expansion. I thought today I should quit while I was ahead. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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Yeah, I tinker with posts no one will reread. I was happy to read your poem this morning. Best part to the day, so far.
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you mean you haven’t had breakfast yetr?
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I wonder why La Mer sounds more romantic than the sea? Though we have plenty of British composers who have written evocative music about the sea. The poem is good. Unlike dry land the sea changes all the time.
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Yeah, when you stop and think pretty much everone who’s anyone has written something. It is one of those subjects with infinite possibilities. I was definitely triggered by that image in my mind’s eye, all those blues. My mind saw a photograph first rather than thinking of a poem.
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I enjoyed the poem Pete and la mer is one of my favourite French songs.
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Really? La Mer is a good song, but I prefer Voum.
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Don’t know that one.
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Sorry, Boum. If you don’t know that one, follow me “translate” link at the bottom, that links to another post of mine and I post Boum at the bottom.
This song has form!
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Okay, thank you!
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A lovely work, Sir. Nice brief interlude, fits well with your normal fare.
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Lovely poem and photo
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
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The photo is not mine; the poem is, so thank you.
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I liked it! You’re welcome.
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