Water Sounds – Poetry by Travis Stephens

Last light has left
the vale between stubborn
rock and the sea.
We hear the grumble
and hiss, the foamy drum,
the clack of retreat.
For those of us raised
near running water–
the dulcet music of downstream–
an ocean is a marching band,
drum heavy and loud.
Any single drop,
any crystal note of falling,
is lost when
gulls scream at each other.
It is why I believe in Poseidon,
the composer
the conductor
with his wind section &
wave section &
a chorus of whales.
His drum fish & porpoise clicks
all play an Ocean’s Concerto
in the greatest amphitheater
of all time.
Put a shell to your ear &
hear the applause.

---

About the Poet

Travis Stephens is a tugboat captain who resides with his family in California. A graduate of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, recent credits include: Gyroscope Review, Dime Show Review, GRIFFEL, 2River, Sheila-Na-Gig, Kissing Dynamite, Speckled Trout Review, and The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature.

For the first time in nearly five years, Vita Brevis is closed for submission. Read the full story here.