AN OLD PAINTING 2012-04-08 The Devil’s waltz and the ship of fools Will take you to the shores of Azure Where Atlantis lies and torpor lurks. Beware of the magic wand, of crafty tricks As well as of undercooked mushrooms galore: The halo of the sea has seen mariners sink before, And waves with fat lips break on black rocks Where no lonely mermaid sings. There appears to be bars where beer flows Freely available to sailors on angels’ piers Where dreams of seaweed-like ladies’ hair Drift lazily to a sheltered anchorage cove; But the estuaries have their vagaries; Deep channels turn into sandbanks and mangroves; Bearings, beacons and buoys are off course, Boats tossing in the chop till turning tide, When the mud flats reveal Some periophthalmic creature Running errands Or meeting friends From Ys. Pascal Legrand Visiteurs : 216 Back to home