All In A Hot And Copper Sky Poem by Jonathan ROBIN

Grilled golden grains spill through gnarled nervous hands,
strong sunburned fingers straining sandy rain.
Corralled on small strip of coral land,
one lonely lingers, stares now and again
from castaway kingdom's salty strand.

Regret remains in solitary reign.
Few fronds, worn flotsam, scarcely understand
from monologue to monologue's refrain
pitched longings' tent sea squalls too soon disband;
short change climate on time's rime distorted plane.

Mind mountains' mirage image may retain
past coarse hoarse seagulls banking by hot sand,
over mosquito clouds which whine, complain,
from morn till night 'mid lonely palm tree bands
which vittles provide, assuaging heart-ache, pain.

Grief scans an atoll's reef from sky to land,
stands screening, yet again, the sun steeped main
the cloudless compass round, on every hand,
bereft of shelter, siren song. Amain
north, south, east, west, an anxious eye has panned.

While distant sea lanes still are scanned in vain,
strange visions range within a blistered brain.

29 February 1976 revised 11 September 1990 15 March 2013,25 March 2017 and 4 June 2021

robi03_0114_robi03_2274 XXX_CNZ

For Previous versions see below

All in a Hot and Copper Sky

Grilled golden grains glance through gnarled nervous hands,
strong suntanned fingers straining sandy rain.
Coralled on small strip of coral land,
he lonely lingers. Glances once again
from castaway kingdom's salty strand,
where he remains in solitary reign,
past coarse hoarse seagulls banking by hot sand,
over mosquito clouds which whine, complain
from morn til night 'mid lonely palm tree bands
which food and drink provide, ease heart-ache, pain.
Cloudless compass round, on every hand,
anxious eyes scan sleepless main amain.
As distant sea lanes still are spanned in vain
strange visions range within derangèd brain.

29 February 1976 revised 11 September 1990 15 March 2013 and 25 March 2017


for previous versions and alternate version entitled CRUSOE see below

ALL IN A HOT AND COPPER SKY
Grilled golden grains glance through gnarled restless hands,
strong suntanned fingers straining sandy rain.
Coralled on small strip of coral land,
he lonely lingers. Glances once again
from his castaway kingdom's salty strand,
where he remains in solitary reign
past coarse hoarse seagulls banking by hot sand,
over mosquito clouds which whine, complain,
from morn till night 'mid lonely palm tree bands
which food and drink provide, ease heart-ache, pain.
The cloudless compass round, on every hand,
north, south, east, west, an anxious eye has panned.
He scans an atoll's sea from sky to land,
stands screening, yet again, the sun steeped main.
While distant sea lanes still he spans in vain,
strange visions range within an aching brain.

29 February 1976 revised 11 September 1990 and 15 March 2013

for previous versions and alternate version entitled CRUSOE see below

ALL IN A HOT AND COPPER SKY
Grilled golden grains glance through his restless hands,
strong suntanned fingers straining sandy rain.
Stranded on a strip of ocean land,
he lonely lingers. Glances once again
from his castaway kingdom's salty strand,
where he remains in solitary reign
over seagulls banking on the sand
and mosquito clouds which whine, complain,
from morn till night amid the palm tree bands
which food and drink provide to ease his pain.
The cloudless compass round, on every hand,
north, south, east, west, his anxious eye has panned.
He scans the coral sea from sky to land,
stands screening, once again, the sun steeped main.
While distant sea lanes still he spans in vain,
the visions echo through his aching brain.

29 February 1976 revised 11 September 1990


CRUSOE
Grilled golden grains slip through restless hands,
suntanned fingers straining sandy rain.
Coralled on small landstrip's salty strand,
solitary castaway scans from coral reign.
Beyond mosquito swarms, past gulls, palm band
food, drink provide, easing nostalgic pain.
Cloudless compass around man's vainly panned
as visions strange range through an aching brain

2 June 2013