The Pride of the White Star Line
Unsinkable they boasted
A challenge that Nature took on
Maiden voyage from England to the States
With bands playing, drinking and laughing
No one suspected that lives would be lost
It was the dark of night, still, clear, no wind
No moon to shine bright
The instrument of it's doom approached
Only twenty lifeboats on deck
Doomed half the people on board
The Titanic was unsinkable they boast
Warned of icebergs he was, but still he stayed north
With water a cold four degrees below zero
Life would be fleeting that night
With only twenty percent showing
Icebergs were Nature's perfect assassin
The doom of any ship within it's reach
The scream of metal, shrieking it's death
The hull buckled under the torture
Saltwater ran into Titanic's wound
The swimming pool sloshed everywhere
Hundreds screamed and died
When the glass dome crashed on to E Deck
Slowly Titanic broke apart around those who didn't believe
Lifeboats left with seats unfilled
For many it became too late, they'd missed their chance
Captain Edward J. Smith went down with his ship
Engineering all stayed at their posts
While the band stayed playing till the end
Of two-thousand, two-hundred and twenty-three
Seven-hundred and six survived
Third Class passengers and Crew suffered the most
The Titanic had many flaws
Numerous mechanical ignored or overlooked
Safety procedure out-of-date or not followed
Now a by-word for disasters at sea
Imprinted on the Western mind
A boastful challenge that Nature called
Author notes
Written April 27th, 2006
This is Option 5.
Photo Credit:Rodger Bansemer
On the night of Sunday, April 14, the temperature had dropped to near freezing and the ocean was completely calm. There was no moon out and the sky was clear. Captain Smith, in response to iceberg warnings received via wireless over the last few days, altered the Titanic's course slightly to the south. That Sunday at 1:45 PM, a message from the steamer Amerika warned that large icebergs lay in the Titanic's path, but inexplicably, the warning was never relayed to the bridge. Later that evening, another report of numerous, large icebergs, this time from the Mesaba, also failed to reach the bridge.At 11:40 PM while sailing south of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, lookouts Fredrick Fleet and Reginald Lee spotted a large iceberg directly ahead of the ship. Fleet sounded the ship's bell three times and telephoned the bridge exclaiming, "Iceberg, right ahead!" First Officer Murdoch ordered an abrupt turn to port (left) and full speed astern, which stopped and then reversed the ship's engines. A collision was inevitable and the iceberg brushed the ship's starboard (right) side, buckling the hull in several places and popping out rivets below the waterline over a length of 300 ft (91 m). As seawater filled the forward compartments, watertight doors shut. However, while the ship could stay afloat with four flooded compartments, five were filling with water. The five water-filled compartments so weighed down the ship that the tops of the forward watertight bulkheads fell below the ship's waterline, allowing water to pour into additional compartments. Captain Smith, alerted by the jolt of the impact, arrived on the bridge and ordered a full stop. Following an inspection by the ship's officers and Thomas Andrews, and shortly after midnight on April 15, lifeboats were ordered to be readied and a distress call sent out. Wikipedia
In a list
- Contemporary • next in list
- Historical Bent • next in list
- Honorable Mention • next in list
- Silver • next in list
A contest entry
- Depth by vertigo beat.
300 points, ended August 4, 2006, 58 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Tragedies by Musical Renaissance.
700 points, ended June 15, 2007, 21 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - 5 OPTION -- Prewrites allowed by Florida Sunshine.
525 points, ended July 29, 2008, 28 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - silver I by Salty Hibiscus.
450 points, ended February 6, 86 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 19 of 19
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sad and interesting history of titanic, and wow she was amazing but unfortunately also too fragile enough to sink. thanks for sharing and good luck.
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Merry meet,
Thank you for commenting.
Amythest Moonjade
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The imagery you've painted is very well done-- I am quite familar with the Titanic and you did a great job, not only being informitive but also by giving the 'feel' of the situation.
Very nice job! I enjoyed reading your work. Thanks so much for entering the Options Contest.
Best of luck to you,
Florida Sunshine
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This is a really great poem. It really demostrates the tragedy of the Titanic. You used a really great style, also. Great write.
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I thought this was a great piece, the sinking of The Titanic is a favorite of mine, I actually wrote a piece called "The Voyage" about it, check it out sometime I think you will enjoy it! As for entry, it is a great write and I enjoyed it immensely, especially the perspective that you wrote this in. Good luck at judging!
Bunny
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I like this piece, well done! This is very beautiful. A very well written piece that shows that you are a very perceptive person. good luck when we judge.
X Tragedy X
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Merry meet Bad Bill,
thank you for your kind comments and for the applause.
Amythest -
Merry meet Aeris,
Thank so much for your wonderful comments and the applause. You are so kind.
Amythest -
Merry meet Di,
your right... I forgot two comma and one word....
Thanks for checking that for me. See if it's better now.
Amythest -
Merry meet Iohagh,
I am honored that you read my poem. Thank you for yours.
Amythest -
Merry meet apoeticinjustice,
Thank you oh so much...coming from you this is high praise indeed. Thank you again for your wonderful comments
Amythest -
Very good
A powerful and graphic account, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
Regards,
Bad Bill -
done fine
this is an interesting piece here. done fine -
Amazingly beautiful!
This poem is amazing. I have a thing about the titanic disaster that facinates me alot. Your poem is beautifully written and it greatly expresses the thoughts and truth about the titanic. It gave me that sense of terro the passengers would have felt not saying this poem is scary but you gave my a mental feeling witht eh images they might have felt right before they died. This pome is somehting everyone should read I truly love it you did a wonderfull job! -
Good one
Nice piece here. good images. -
Hi not sure about still clear wind it does not sound right, the tragic story of the unsinkable Titanic, so many lives lost, a nice write, all the best, Di
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Your
White
Star Line
safety blind
your write regales
unprepared lifeboats
so bare and naked before risk
steam with hubris to a coffin grave in the ocean wide.
Smoosh Janet -
as a history buff, this was a very interesting read...you tell the story well. The poem moves along nicely and is an easy read. Well done.
Rory -
Merry meet,
thank you for your wonderful comment and the applause.
Amythest
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