The Longship

Ah, not so long now

the cruel northerlies blow;
Norsemen urge their longships
to the land across the snow

Where the sun shines ever brightly

and grapes hang low on trees
where men can breathe more freely
and the ice pack does not freeze

Where dawn warms the arctic air

And flowers drape the land
where people love without a care
and suffer not a tyrant's hand

That greening land doth beckon now

--the dragonship skims o’er the waves
roar of surf abaft the prow
and terns aloft on the octave

Blue lagoon, thou sweet cocoon

harbour for the sea-sad soul
coral blooms and timeless moon
the perfect shore to evermore.

©Subroto Mukerji

08/01/07