Foghorn Poem by David Harris

There was an eerie silence
as the fog cloaked around us.
The foghorn bellowed
like some prehistoric monster’s roar.
In the distance, another foghorn wailed
as if echoing the first monster’s call.
On deck eyes peered into the white cloak
looking for some dark looming shape.
The foghorns blew almost simultaneously.
The thick blanket prevented anyone
from seeing anything.
The throb of the engines like a mighty heartbeats
echoed in everyone’s ears.
Again, a foghorn bellowed
like some distant monster’s roar.
Then as a dark shape loomed from the mist
and its mighty heartbeats rang out in everyone’s ears.
As it approached, there was panic in their eyes.
A collision at sea would cost many lives.
It was bad enough in fine weather,
but in a fog where no one could see
the disaster would be catastrophic.
Everyone braced themselves
for the collision to be.
Except for the mighty heartbeats
of the giant behemoths of the waves,
silence covered all.
Slowly the dark shapes passed one another
and were once again
swallowed up within the fog.

29 May 2008