Hi Gary,
I like this. Somehow I feel that the last stanza is one too much. Mr Blue
leading Mrs Blue across the sand is a wonderful image and a great potential
ending for the poem. Only other quib would be to trim a little on excess
detail e.g. "arthritic limbs..." the guy is seventy seven so we can fill in
the detail as readers. Good poem though, nice feel.
bw
James


>From: Gary B <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: New:  Mr Blue
>Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 07:55:12 -0800
>
>Mr. Blue
>
>First fog of morning
>
>Mr. Blue dons dirty gortex
>to blend in the day's first haze,
>first trip to the beach,
>limit eighteen bivalves.
>
>An hour to dig,
>an hour to clean and freeze,
>an hour to rest--
>and change from blue to red coat,
>gray Dockers,
>black rubber knee-highs.
>Another dig,
>another limit
>to clean and can when sun
>and tide are high.
>
>Still warm, evening,
>Mr. Blue dons yellow hat and slicker
>third of five trips,
>the last change black to fool the night.
>
>And who is fooled?
>Not game warden,
>fellow diggers,
>neighbors and drinking buddies.
>Mr. Blue staggers
>over rock and stone,
>as arthritic limbs protest too many trips
>over beach logs and rubble?
>
>Seventy-seven years of fog
>and evening chill as the harvest
>grows smaller yearly,
>shrunken limbs and granite joints,
>the price Mr. Blue pays
>to continue the life he had
>when he first led Mrs. Blue across the sand.
>
>As the fog rolls in with night's chill,
>Mr. Blue dreams of hidden dunes,
>sandy rendezvous
>and tomorrow's harvest
>never to be eaten,
>a clouded mirror
>to the best part of his life.
>
>Feb guest is TE Ballard and Gar does garbage  at:
>http://gardawg.homestead.com/gardawg.html,
>
>Poets for Peace.  ˇPoemas sí, balas no!




bw
James


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