I write, speak, invest, network, and question to stimulate fruitful conversation. Let's talk about human flourishing! It begins with freedom. Holy leisure is the key to human being, freedom and generativity. Please join me in the adventure of realizing Christ!
Wind Scale
I read about the long, laborious development of the Beaufort wind scale – lifesaver for sailors.
By it – a series of numbers that correspond to wind speeds, accompanied by precise descriptions of the waves – sailors appropriate and apply a wealth of information about weather, waves and wind. Named after the British admiral, Sir Francis Beaufort, who drafted it in 1808, the scale was adopted by the World Meteorological Organization for wide use among crews as a standardized language of wind conditions.
I love the elegance of Beaufort’s descriptions: “like a mirror,” “crests have a glassy appearance,” “frequent white horses,” “sea heaps up,” “edges of crests begin to break into spindrift,” “dense streaks of foam,” “the tumbling of the sea becomes heavy and shock-like,” “medium-sized ships might be for a time lost to view behind the waves,” “sea completely white with driving spray.” There is something so personal and experiential, so poetic and human about this pre-technological condensation of essential data into transferable form! Naturally, it inspired poetry in response.
My ‘wind’ is the voice of God – from His silence, to His clear leadership, to His presence in overwhelming circumstance. My soul is the ‘sea’ that responds to His touch.
I included my favorite words and images from the Beaufort scale: rippling, tumult, roiling, spindrift, shock; peaks collapse; waves swell and scatter and obscure ships; spray blinds and pierces like needles; the surface towers and drops; destination, edges, reference points are lost to view.
My soul, whether becalmed, running before a fresh breeze, or whipped by a hurricane, is in her element – trusting God, whose Spirit is the wind, whose Being is the ocean of mercy, whose Love is the word that moves and stills her.
Wind Scale
O Becalmed
Wind does not stir,
Waiting, unmoved,
The sea reflects the sky
Soul like a mirror
1 Light Air
A Presence rippling
Crosses toward me,
I lean slightly forward,
Soul just awakening
2 Slight Breeze
Small, articulated wordlets
Pronounced and barely heard
Absorbed into the deep
Soul quickening to hear
3 Gentle Breeze
Syllables coalesce and come
Breaking like scattered waves
Some foam, some spray
Soul mounting as to ride
4 Moderate Breeze
Whole phrases swell and speak
Riderless horses charging in
Imperious, muscled glory
Soul carried out to sea
5 Fresh Breeze
New words, new hope, new sound
A destination seen, perceived
Riding on wind, running the path
Soul and this charger, one
6 Strong Breeze
Tumult surrounds – a whitecap audience
Cheering and clapping waves
Exposed, invulnerable, above
Soul braced, exultant, thrilled
7 Moderate Gale
A hint of danger streaks
Across the roiling sea
High peaks collapse and drop
Soul quakes before the wind
8 Fresh Gale
Disintegrating ground
Spindrift and blown and tossed
Counterwave turbulence
Soul barely holding on
9 Strong Gale
High waves obstruct the view
Crests topple, tumble, roll
Unharnessed and unhorsed
Soul thrown, spray-blinded, scared
10 Whole Gale
Shocking and dense the sea
Unconsoled white surface towers
Dimension lost in mist
Soul clings to air, to life
11 Storm
Small ships are lost to view
No reference point, no edge
Flotsam submerged and sunk
Soul drowning in high waves
12 Hurricane
Air filled with needle spray
Noise deafening, no word
An unrelenting roar
Soul sinks to find her peace
All the poems are now in one volume, and I’d love for you to have a copy! Click on the cover to buy it, and click here for the recordings of all the poems.
You must be logged in to post a comment.