Night Light
Towering above dunes gnawed by ocean waves
Stands a monument of engineering
Seeking some souls to save
A beacon of light to prowling ships in the night
Specters of the sea
Those who listen… who shake with fright
Will live to see dry land tonight
Light piercing darkness guides a ship all alone
Flashing danger ore a graveyard
Of lost ship’s bones
A brick and mortar giant of clay
Calls excited children to come and play
Or climb the winding backbone of steel
And dream of one day steering a ship’s wheel
And every night the mirror shines
Reflecting the light within
Through hurricanes, lightning, wind, and rain
Into the black of night again
Children and parents have all gone home
The dark waves pound the shore
Standing strong it’s all alone
Knowing some ships sail no more
Rain and hail beat the window panes
But the light of life never wains
Ships toss on the rolling foam
The colossal stands alone
Photo of the Boddie Lighthouse near Nags Head, NC
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
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Roth Poetry 
Love lighthouses. Love this poem.
Is this what’s called a Narrative Poem?
I’m still learning the differences.
It’s confusing when every poet writes their own version of traditional Poetry Form.
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I don’t know. It is just a freestyle poem to me. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Wonderful tribute to a lighthouse.
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Thank you so much!
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Nice praise to that lighthouse.
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Thanks Frank!
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I am also a fan of lighthouses and lighthouse poems – we need more! Now I have that song going through my head, ‘I Wanna to Marry a Lighthouse Keeper’!
The are some stunning lines and phrases in this poem, Dwight, that really caught my eye. I love ‘dunes gnawed by ocean waves’, ‘specters of the sea’, ‘the winding backbone of steel’ and ‘the colossal stands alone’, which sounds quite bleak. I also love the lines:
‘Flashing danger ore a graveyard
Of lost ship’s bones
A brick and mortar giant of clay’.
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Thank you so much for your kind assessment of my poem. I really appreciate your affirmation. We loved going to the beach with our boys and seeing all the lighthouses. I don’t think I ever heard your song about the lighthouse keeper!! Thanks.
dwight
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It’s the one they used in the soundtrack to the film of A Clockwork Orange.
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A beautiful tribute to the lighthouse Dwight, they keep so many people safe at sea and guide them into harbour :o)
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Thank you Xenia.
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Really enjoy the rhyme and the feel. Nicely done. I have vacationed many a time on those outer banks, long time ago.
Suggestion: Billy Collins uses the expression “Valet Title” to describe one of many tools to make a poem accessible — friendly to the reader instead of a puzzle. Without a picture, your poem would have been an unnecessary, and for me, unpleasant puzzle. So a title like Nags Head Lighthouse, or something like that, would have acted as a valet, guiding the reader into the rest of the journey of the poem. Your poems are usually very accessible and so I enjoy them for that reason — and this picture was a great way of guiding us in, but if you publish this without a pic, that would be my suggestion.
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Thank you Sabio. I appreciate your affirmation and your great suggestions. Since this had been published on Word Press a year or more ago, I changed the name so it would be different this time. I too am not a fan of poetry that I have to work at to read and figure out. I like straight up lines that flow well. The original title was Night Light. Thank you!
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cool, and I read from your bio that you are always close to the shore! (*envy)
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Yes our family traveled there almost every summer when our boys were young! It is a three hour drive, but worth the trip!
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I found your religious bio fascinating!! You have had quite a ride in your time!
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I briefly lived close to a lighthouse. It’s mournful horn in misty conditions always got me making hot chocolate with a dash of whisky in it … should’ve been a sailor!
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An exquisite tribute to the lighthouse, Dwight 💜
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Thanks so much!
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Even without the photo, this clearly is about a lighthouse, Dwight. Well done.
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As for the current title, “Standing Alone” leads right into the character of the light.
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I thought so… and along with the photo it gives that feeling.
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Thank you Ken. I appreciate all perspectives. It gives me a sense of what others are seeing and thinking when they read my stuff!!
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The safety of the lighthouse…assured of find the way home.
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Yes, Thanks!
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I love lighthouses for all its aspects… the way they lead the sailor home, the architecture and the places where they stand.
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Thanks Bjorn. NC has seven on the coast! I have seen four of them.
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I love this! Love lighthouses and all they represent. I posted a poem but on another site I am on. Don’t know if people can read it. Would you let me know if you can see it? Thanks.
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I see the family kitchen poem, that is all. Thanks Mary for reading and commenting.
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Thanks Ken!!
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Lovely poem, Dwight. Lighthouses were so crucial. Beautiful photo, too.
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Thanks Merril. We love seeing these magnificent structures.
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Reminded of the old hymn:
“Brightly beams our Father’s mercy,
From His lighthouse evermore…”
God’s grace keeps beaming1
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A great song brought back to my memory form my childhood! Thanks for the memory!
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