Man Overboard

a poem by Sheela K . Sharath

Neptune, Poseidon
Okeanos and Triton
I summon thee
from the briny
depths of the seven seas.

Raise your trident
Neptune
and strike down
those sea pirates
that loot, maim,
rape and plunder
those unfortunate hordes
running away from
oppression,
lusting after a new life
in a promised land.

Poseidon,
with your mighty voice
stop the horrors perpetuated
by mankind
on mankind,
drown out
those radioactive blasts
held by rogue nations
in your sublime abysmal waters.

Okeanos,
steady the keel
of cargo liners
that sail your seas
their bellies swollen with
black liquid gold.
Let not a drop
taint the blueness of your
sparkling waters!

Triton
be on red alert,
let not treasure hunters
dive into your
sunken shipholds
and steal trinkets
and disturb the sleep
of those souls
long dead
in their watery graves.

The poet that once said…
‘man marks the earth
with ruin
his control stops with the
shore …’
could never have
fathomed
man’s bottomless greed!