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now that it's over
the sea
calm like a kind old grandfather
squints at a little sea gull
flying leisurely in the sun
brushing its white wings
against the blue cheeks of the sky
so blue that no one seems to remember
why all the shouting howling
pounding and beating
This poem first appeared in DuPage Valley Review (2019).
Used here with permission.
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William Marr came to America from Taiwan in 1961. After receiving his master's degree in mechanical engineering and his PhD degree in nuclear engineering, he worked in the area of energy research at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago for 27 years before retiring in 1996 to focus on his true passions — poetry and art. A former president of the Illinois State Poetry Society, William has published two books of essays, several books of poetry translations, and 23 volumes of poetry. His poetry has been translated into more than ten languages and appears in high school and college textbooks in Taiwan, China, England, and Germany. In 2018, William received the lifetime achievement award from the International Board of Examiners of Edizioni Universum and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from the Marquis Who's Who Publications Board. In 2019, he received the 60th Literary Award from Taiwan's Chinese Literature and Art Association. William lives with his wife, Jane, in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Learn more about him here.
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Anastasia:
This poem captures the moment so well!
Posted 09/10/2020 08:29 PM
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Q_:
Beautiful!
Posted 09/07/2020 06:11 PM
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Lori Levy:
I agree. Beautiful images.
Posted 09/07/2020 12:10 AM
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Sharon Waller Knutson:
Loved this beautiful picturesque poem. Kind old grandfather and blue cheeks of the sky are exquisite images.
Posted 09/06/2020 11:44 PM
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Janet Leahy:
Your last stanza seems to be a warning to us to remember the storms of our lives, memory can help us cope so the tragedies of history are not repeated.
Indeed a beautiful poem. Thank you.
Posted 09/06/2020 12:10 PM
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KevinArnold:
Stunning.
Posted 09/06/2020 11:16 AM
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cork:
Oh, the contrast!
Posted 09/06/2020 10:13 AM
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paradea:
Love this!!
Posted 09/06/2020 09:05 AM
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michael escoubas:
Congratulations, Bill, and thank you for favoring we fortunate readers with this picturesque, meditative masterpiece.
Posted 09/06/2020 08:59 AM
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peggy.turnbull:
Beautiful, expressive imagery. I love this poem, as I live next to Lake Michigan, which behaves very much like the sea.
Posted 09/06/2020 08:40 AM
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mail@schoolbusmart.com:
Nice piece. I felt an irony in the end with being reminded by being told no one seems to remember the violence of the storm, especially after being lulled by a kind grandfather and sky blue cheeks. Thanks Randy
Posted 09/06/2020 08:23 AM
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Jean Colonomos-1:
So much richness in your metaphors. "the sea/calm like
a kind old grandfather...blue cheeks of the sky..."
Posted 09/06/2020 08:21 AM
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Larry Schug:
The ocean exists only in my Minnesota imagination, but a bird "brushing its white wings against the blue cheeks of the sky" is real everywhere. Very good ending and like all good poems, so much is said with so few words.
Posted 09/06/2020 08:15 AM
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