Lepanto
Joseph Tate
The sun-heavy sea burning
& as far as the eye
purple-black oars black rudders black prows magenta spars
black spars as far as the eye
into the white sea of a turquoise spilled
cerise the bright red of tumult washed from bone
held-tight bruisings of color
& the urge of high white clouds
the urge of flense-pink of marigolds
of rose-madder as of flame as of fire
& the white sea of a turquoise
faint, so silked as with veins of so pale of a lapis
& how the welter the sea, spilled to dark with souls
souls splintered into the burn and blare of the sun-heavy sea
from the deck, blood-slick the sea of a turquoise
hold to, they held to split hulls the timbers blood-dark
as far as the eye the high white clouds
& the white sea burning of turquoise
the black oars black prows black spars magenta spars
purple-black oars how quick
how quick the dark spills how quick the souls
into the sun-heavy sea
how quick the blood its salt the sea
Joseph Tate is a writer based in Seattle. His poems have appeared in, Dadakuku, Another Chicago Magazine, ē·rā/tiō, Measure, Yemassee, and other publications.