Ballad-by-the-Sea

[Melanie]

Springtime and Chambertine wine
Under the shade of a Monterey Pine
She opens her book and dines on rhymes
Seabreezes blow, her thoughts entwined
In Carmel-by-the-Sea.
On a grassy knoll, on a bluff above
O'er an azure sea most dream of;
Melodic poems from a treasure trove
Rock her to sleep by-the-Sea.

Asleep, she dreams...as silently
Her scene transforms most suddenly
The ancient pine now a seedling be
Her picnic a sidewalk cafe for three
In the village-by-the-Sea.
Just then she's joined by Lord Tennyson
And his Lady of Shalott therein
Who sings her last song to a violin
As the Lilies blow by-the-Sea.

The waters darken as the Lady whispers,
"To the sea's charisma, ne'er surrender
Lest ye befall the fateful curse as I upon the river."
Then the Lord and Lady of Shallot led her to a drifter
Dockside in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
The drifter, Richard Hovey, was headed for Cathay
He took her hand and led her to a schooner in the bay
To live a life of a Sea Gypsy, but would the sea betray?
Topsails decay by-the-Sea.

Without a care she boards the boat
And slips into the sea, and down she floats
as the Lady forebode to it's darkest depths remote
Then something gently tugs her swirling tresses and petticoat
Lord Byron's maiden of-the-Sea.
The mermaid's magical music charms the sea until it pauses
Awakened, the dreamer finds herself upon familiar mosses
Under the shade of the Monterey Pine, her book of poems she closes
In Carmel by-the-Sea.

[cafolini]

But I'll have an artichoke before I leave.
With the roasted garlic near Carmel by the she.

[Melanie]

Are ya sayin' there's a lotta' rhymin' goin' on? :biggrin5:

I knew going into it that a copious amount of rhyme is frowned upon by most but I didn't let that stop me (obviously:smile5:) from having fun with learning the different forms of poetry...like a ballad...and a true-to-form ballad has a lot of rhyme and a repetitive line (thus by-the-sea).

I'm brand new to poetry other than about 100 non-rhyme, 5-line cinquains and a couple of recent short poems in the Poetry Contests forum. So, for me, this was a fun challenge and learning experience....to the ad-nauseum of some. Now that I've done one I must admit I have a new respect for those who have written ballads. It's not as easy as it looks. Now, about the copious amounts of smiley faces :cornut:

[cafolini]

I am probably the worst person to answer those questions. I just responded to the meaning, which was very powerfully clear to me. I know the central coast of California fairly well. I love that area, Carmel, Big Sur, Salinas, etc. I used to live in Atascadero, about 15 miles from Morro Bay. Then we moved to San Luis Obispo, close to Paso Robles. Pismo Beach is another area that I explored. The central coast of California is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Regardless of form, your poem shows you are having fun in Carmel by the sea, the land of my buddy Eastwood.