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An Englishman in the Yellow Sea |
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by Ken Chau
Down
he came
via the Red Sea
then dived
headfirst
into the deep end
of the Yellow Sea
one big wave
and it was goodbye
to the folks
at home.
Trained in
South America
ate piranha &
took vitamins
fought sharks
tooth & nail.
Hard swim
junks scattered
everywhere
with sailors wearing
Mao jackets &
Western smiles.
Tired
he floated
on his back
dogpaddled
round the bends
of waves awash
with bleeding eels.
Sexless fish
clung to buoys
he paddled past
disinterested.
Glad I did
not make the trip.
Anyway, I can-
not swim.
Much worse
than the
English
Channel
he thought
hours
before
being
found
floating
face
up. (First published in Poetry Australia, Number 103, "Young Poets' Issue - These Walls, This Floor", 1986) |