Five Poems and an Essay on the Moon and the Sea

Fifteen years ago on this day, I was on a ship after having scuba-dived to watch the marine life off the Kavaratti Island of the Lakshadweep group of islands. That ten-day trip had inspired me to write several poems, including the Forgotten Raven, and an essay, other than a formal report. I present five poems and the essay here in unedited form, to remember that time and the influence of the moon and the sea on me. This was my early foray into writing, especially poetry, influenced heavily by the music I was listening to, books and poetry I was reading, and thoughts I was having.

1. Moonlord

As the wind pierces the ocean

And the waves soar up and high,

When the stars lay out in the open

And the sea sways with a sigh!

 

As the sky turns into darkness

In the eastern sky is born a light

Alone he grows upon the vastness

And shines out into twilight!

 

Moonlord! Awakened by an easterly gale

On the throne of starry night he shall hail!

Over us he stares as in the sea we sail

Northern sky is veiled as Moonzlord scales!

 

Loud waves shall be awaken by his gleam

Over and under our ship they spill

Rumbling monsters of deep become unstil

Deep and dark sea reflects the Moonbeam!

 

We follow the Moonlord over westerly haze

As he slowly wanes in front of our eyes

He sets over the edge like an old withered face

Farewell now! We shall meet again as day dies!

~~~

2. Westward

Silently she sailed in the lustrous veil

Aboard we stood underneath her sail,

Watching the birds and wavering gale

As westward we sail down our trail.

 

Amidst the sea naught but we

Along with us the fishes flee,

Surrounding her is the eternal sea

Hard to believe what I see.

 

As the sun sets beyond the endless horizon

Sea sheds tears like a mortal wizen,

We witness the event of a dark story

And spread our arms for evening’s glory.

 

Dark now the sea shall be

Dark be the sky and dreams,

Moonlit waves speak to me

Of fancy creatures and beings.

 

In the night of the Arabian Sea,

Westward we sail underneath the gleams

In the night of the endless sea,

Westward we sail to fulfill our dreams.

~~~

3. Celestial Horde

From the skies they rouse,

Filling the coast with fog

The warriors strung arrows,

The battle shalt be fought!

 

The descending celestial horde

Clashes with the swords,

And lightening strikes hard

Leaving the water scarred!

 

Beauty of sea is lost

To wrath of the storms,

Silence surrenders at last

The tides expand their form!

 

And suddenly a horn blows,

From far beyond the sea,

The water spurts and glows,

As the hordes depart the scene

 

At a new day’s dawn

Terror of fog has gone,

We celebrate singing songs

Of the mighty angels, who won!

~~~

4. Spell of the Waning Moon

A young Moon I saw high and far.

Waning upon a lair of stars,

From east he journeyed wide and afar,

Upon the glittering sea he bathed his scars.

 

A young moon I saw high and far,

The sea mirrored his crescent arms,

Yonder he stood upon a lair of stars,

Casting a spell upon our hearts!

 

Slowly he waned beyond our head,

No cloud could veil his magnificent gaze,

In the east he rouse and to west he fled,

The sea shone beneath him with a light haze.

 

And slowly he waned beyond the sphere,

Whither he waxed now we only wonder,

For tonight he ends his journey hither,

Casting a spell upon us as he wanders!

A young Moon I saw high and far.

Waning upon a lair of stars,

From east he journeyed wide and afar,

Upon the glittering sea he bathed his scars.

 

A young moon I saw high and far,

The sea mirrored his crescent arms,

Yonder he stood upon a lair of stars,

Casting a spell upon our hearts!

 

Slowly he waned beyond our head,

No cloud could veil his magnificent gaze,

In the east he rouse and to west he fled,

The sea shone beneath him with a light haze.

 

And slowly he waned beyond the sphere,

Whither he waxed now we only wonder,

For tonight he ends his journey hither,

Casting a spell upon us as he wanders!

~~~

5. Magical Lore of the Sea

When the Moon arouse in the east,

And crimson skies streaked in west,

Sea glimmered in the evening starlight

And the sun sank in the deep blue twilight.

 

Evening Star shone from afar

And slowly the veil of light unfurled

Diamonds grew as clusters of star

And the wind hummed and chuckled.

 

The waves strewn and sea hewn

By a magical glow of the Moon,

The sea boomed and life it sewn,

With the cold reflections in gloom

 

And magical creatures danced and roamed

And plants bloomed upon moonlit mould

Deer ran helter-skelter as the lions roared

And a magical lore of the sea unfolds.

 

Night after night as the time passed

A new life the Sea canvassed

Of warriors of old she portrayed one night

Who fought the foe and hailed a knight.

 

And once she revealed in her immense womb

Magical fishes and dolphins in the gloom

Sharks and whales plunging up and down

As the waves rolled with a grin and frown

 

A magical lore of the Sea unfolds

As the Moonlight shines onto her

A magical lore of the Sea untold 

Fades away as the Moon sinks into her.

~~~

6. The Moon and the Sea (a reflection of my time on the sea)

From the land of thousand errors, we sailed the warship to explore new horizons and a new world. We began the voyage across the untamed sea, outraged by small vessels trying a catch at the fish and sea-gulls feeding on the prey. Bidding goodbye to the somber land, we accepted our fate and the wraith of the sea and sailed towards destiny.

I could stare into the land, fading away into a thin line – a veil covering the lustrous skin of earth. As and when the ship’s horn blew, it reminded me of the purpose I was here for; not just me but the other hundred people I cruised along with. Different as everyone was, different were their intentions and there I learnt the way of life, amongst the kin yet barely one of the kin.

We sailed towards west, at the setting sun’s glade. Along with us sailed a few more men. A ship was now our world, from here we could stare into the infinite sky and the unleashed horizons, but the ship bound us into a ball of repulsive powers - Powers of every individual defending their own territory. As we sailed farther from mainland and towards the sun, I found myself at one of the ends of the world, from where I saw the ball of life incorporated on the ship, the sea was the endless unexplored space, and the sky our shelter we lived under. Being a part of this smallest world gave me a sense of responsibility and dreams, just like others. The moment sun touched the horizon, the sky burst into colorful tears, the water ablaze and our eyes, full of awe. The experience of the setting sun over the endless horizon was breathtaking.

Being the one in the mountains, I never enjoyed the sound of the sea, nor the constant shaking scene, but, it withheld a deep meaning - Something that one could not understand without the sun or the moon. As the dusk took cover, the evening star shone upon us, the crescent moon glanced and the sea stared. I agree I fear the sea a lot, but this was the time I could face her without fear. With the darkness setting in, the sky glittered with happiness and the sea reflected the scent of the moon. On the deck, we laid our bedding and slept, everyone dived into their sea of thoughts trying to understand the reality and to believe in it.

The slumber broke as I fought through the wind to stand up and cherish the pure form of air. We were hundred miles into the sea, sailing only with the help of compass and directions based on the map. We could not behold what future holds for us but the first sight of a land mass relieved us. As if seeing it for the first time, a rush of warmth filled our hands and feet and we were desperate to get off the ship. The land, devoid of any mountain, was covered with lush green coconut forest. The highest peak was that of the lighthouse, around hundred feet tall. The changing color of the water left us breathless, from Persian blue to a light murky green, to transparent, glassy greenish blue. It was an amazing sight. The sand of the whites graced the sea with a hazy sprint and the palms raised high above the surface. We did not have to fight hard to look at the bottom of the sea, where the hidden part of the world lay. After getting off the ship, I was enlightened by the formation of the islands. There is no soil upon it. Everything is made up by the livings, the corals, the shells and mollusks. The thought of stepping upon the land that took thousands of years in making and still evolving amazed me. I totally fell for the tiny islands, the home, and world for many who live there. As an immigrant I respect the environment and the space of the natives. The living on an island was far more different than the way I imagined. There is nothing actually to explore on the land, however the water is a sanctuary for majestic creatures – ranging from the tiniest to the biggest. Upon the land, the view from the Lighthouse gave a clear cut picture and size of the island. It spread north to south with the mainland on the eastern side and endless sea on the western. Joy filled my heart to belong to such a place, its hard to imagine being on a pinnacle and being able to see the whole of a world, be it tiny. On our way back to the ship, my thoughts wondered in the unexplored world, everything was so clear, yet somewhere I thought I couldn’t gain much of knowledge. It was our first island, and everyone cherished it thoroughly.

Back on the ship, I spent time alone in a corner of the ball of life I was a part of. Staring at the endless sea and the eternal sky was the best thing to do. That night, was the first time I actually witnessed the setting moon and the sky changing its direction from Orion to the Great Bear. The crescent moon was right above us, and slowly it descended westwards following the sunken sun. The sea reflected the light shared by the moon and enlightened the surface, full of chaos. The chaos, as I put it before held a sense beyond my imagination, however I learnt the art of decrypting it. The light of the moon upon the surface of the sea brought the water to life. It seemed like the water itself is life, and not just a part of it. After staring at the surface for some time, I could see the timid life on its surface. I saw the bushes and the ground firstly, and slowly I saw the deer and squirrel run around here and there. Some hid behind the bushes and some changed their shape from a mouse to a deer. The landscape as I saw was always moving against the direction of the ship, which gave it a life and a different sight every moment we moved. Along with the darkening sea, the imaginary life subdued into darkness as the moon turned from bright white to a gloomy red color. That was the time of mourning for me and the sea. The moon ultimately touched the horizon and sank until the two horns like crescents were visible – the time of darkness. Then I witnessed the sky and the sea unite to form a pitch black void supported by the glittering stars and the tune of the waves. The rule of night took over my eyes and I fell asleep on the flank of the ship.

Early morning sky brought in new hopes and dreams as we let loose ourselves to explore the underwater life. It was not what it seems from above. It is actually a paradise, a heaven to look at, and hard to imagine that we are just a spectator to look at it. I spent hours in silence exploring and devouring the underwater life and sights. The building blocks of the islands, and the fish swimming around it was overwhelming. Different colors adorned the white background and the surface reflected bright waves of light, penetrating the water to illuminate the bottom. Here life formed, I wondered and from here they walked upon the land to give us the privilege to look at it and cherish it from within our hearts. As my senses came back to normal, I was forced back onto the land to feel the life amongst the natives. I had always wondered from where they came from, and if they came here accidentally, where were they headed? They seemed to be of Indian origin, with a similar language of the south India, and a similar tradition of folk dance. The folk dance was one proof which they shared with the mainland, of swords and shields. Were they warriors who sailed into the sea in search of a new land to rule? Some things still wander over my mind…

As it darkened, we boarded our ship to sail into another destination. The surrounding now seemed to be similar, yet it brought new things to my mind. The sea of magical life now sent me a vision of warriors, with dark toned skin, big shields and long spears in their hands. They wore a helmet adorned with long feathers. As the ship sailed, so did the landscape of what I believed was a battlefield. Dust filled the sea turned battlefield as the warriors fought. I saw the elephants engaged in fights and slowly it filled the sea and my soul, until the moon took it all away along with its fading light. Like the silence of an aftermath, I fell into a deep void of imaginations, lost in the ever increasing curiosity, until sleep came for my rescue. 

Something stuck on my mind, why was I to see such strange things? Was it only an imaginary trick or was the sea communicating with me? I’ll never know if that is true, but I know, I saw something that made my inner self strong.

Thus the days sailed by and the end of our journey was near. Living amidst the sea and under the bright sun, with no shadows fallen was enlightening and that inspired me to write about the journey.

The last day was spent on the Capital and the night back on the ship. Amidst again, the moon was now a half-moon. Perfectly curved and shadowed by the darkness gave it an interesting perspective. It was cold and haunting, but just like every night, the sea surfaced with the life it nurtures. That night, I could see the marine creatures from dolphins to sharks and whales chasing the shoal of fish. The sight was complete chaos, teeming with life. I couldn’t just keep a watch at one place, for they moved very swiftly, with the waves. Last night that it was, I thought that this was the ultimate gift I could procure from Her – an insight into a nurturing mother’s womb. That night I stayed well awake to consume as much strength from the moon and the sea as I could, until the darkness took cover.

That night our journey ended and along with dreams we took with us the memories. We came to seek a place of tranquility; we experienced it, and cherished it thoroughly.

~~~°