Theme Thursday: “Summer”

Rogue

Ice-blooded, she birthed it

somewhere, in the vast Atlantic,

flint-finned, silent, steady;

it came a-calling in the Summer of ‘16.

Swept up by the Gulf Stream

to Jersey’s shore, where hordes had

learned to love a leisurely swim

in the open sea — it came.

Beyond the boardwalk

at ‘Lantic City, Beach Haven,

Spring Lake, Raritan–

(vacation spots to die for)

They came to dip their toes

in the chill of the tides

and race back to shore,

shrieking with delight.

All was right, with the

sun-blessed beaches,

the gentle breezes that

swept the water’s sparkle,

But a man with his dog

on this joyful, spree-filled day

would be torn with 50 teeth

and his life’s blood drained away.

None to save him and none

to save those who would fall prey

to the driven one ; blood, only blood

to sate the tiger of the sea.

Five more would bleed

No man, no woman, no child

safe – even in the calmest creek–

the strikes would land and kill,

Until, a big-game hunter

with ice-veins of his own

would net the Great White

and beat it with a broken oar.

Kathleen Mortensen©2009

*Photo borrowed from Wikipedia
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