Sea of glass

I am sailing on a sea of glass,

the prow of the boat slicing

   through waves of glass;

the sail inhales and expands,

propelling the boat

   forward, soundlessly

The silence of a glassy sea,

   no sound to hear,

   not even a bird’s cry

To look into the glass

is to look into the heart

and we see all manner

of creatures swimming

in the glassy sea.

Tweetspeak Poetry has a poetry prompt this week on sand, sea shells, and sea glass. "Glassy sea" isn't exactly the same as "sea glass," but, I thought, there's always poetic license. Anyway, check out what others have submitted at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Photograph: Brig upon the Water by Gustave Le Gray (1856); Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City.

The Viking Raid

Under a cloudless sky she sat

staring out at the sea shimmering

silver in the morning sun,

searching for the promised glimpse

of a sail upon the horizon, a glimpse

unlike the first, when sails appeared

and surrounded them, their tiny isle,

and bearded men in horned helmets

rained terror and destruction, except

for the blond man with a young beard

who claimed her with hands gentle

in their  pillaging roughness.

And now, the sleeping child next to her,

she stares out at the sea shimmering

and feels the terror of not seeing

a sail upon the horizon.