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Streaks of Light Upon Murky Water
The branches of the cloven pine have died.
Their corpses stand sharp and gnarled
Against the nourishing Sun.
Their dead roots seep deep into the Earth,
Their endless tendrils were once greed incarnate
For minerals hidden under the dark and ancient soil,
Untouched by mankind.
Pools of mud take the place
Of where the saplings once grew.
Unable to join the ranks of the Ocean,
That surrounds this island of spirits.
It keeps sanctuary for insects.
How it despises the footprints
That harbors its waters.
Dead leaves trickle down to the forest floor.
Sun rays spill through,
Exposing that even the mystic air
Carries dust.
Streaks of light upon the murky water,
Ever so delicate,
Create ripples on its surface.
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This is a piece from a collection of poems I wrote for my Shakespeare Final for English class. This poem is inspired by the play I chose to research, The Tempest. The imagery of this poem is symbolic to the relationship between the two supernatural characters in the play, "Ariel" and "Caliban." Ariel is the Spirit of Air and Light, while Caliban is the Spirit of the Earth. The first line of the poem is a direct reference to The Tempest, for it was the "cloven pine" that the evil witch "Sycorax," mother of Caliban, trapped Ariel many years ago. The main character of the play, the magician "Prospero," killed Sycroax and freed Ariel from the grove, only to turn the spirit into his own servant. The mud in the poem represents Caliban, who will never attain the power his mother once had, and the growing hatred he harbors for Ariel and Caliban.