Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Poem: "The Rainbow Sails"

This poem is spillover from the July 5, 2016 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from the Duchess via [personal profile] technoshaman. It also fills the "weather" square in my 4-19-16 card for the [community profile] genprompt_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by the general fund, based on an audience poll. It belongs to The Ocracies series.


"The Rainbow Sails"


In the waters beyond the mainland,
primarily among the Free Islands of Lisande
but extending all along the coast, traveled
the people of the Rainbow Sails.

They lived in beautiful boats,
carved of exotic woods and painted
in bright colors, with multicolored sails
rising above their elegant decks.

They described their government
as anemocracy, which meant they were
rule by the wind, or by whim, depending
on who you asked and whether they
liked or disliked the Rainbows.

If you watched, though, you could
see that these things were equally true:
they followed the wind where it took them,
and like the wind they could be a driving force
of trade or a devastating hurricane of destruction,
even a playful breeze turning a child's pinwheel.

The one thing everyone agreed on was this:
you didn't turn your back on the wind, and
you didn't provoke the Rainbow Sails.

* * *

Notes:

The Rainbow Sails (anemocracy, government by the wind or by whim) live primarily among the Free Islands of Lisande but travel all along the coast.
-- The Phrontistery

Ships with two or more sails frequently use different solid colors such as orange and yellow or green and blue. Single sails are often multicolored.
Tags: cyberfunded creativity, fantasy, fishbowl, poem, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
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  • 5 comments
siliconshaman

siliconshaman

July 26 2016, 21:44:07 UTC 4 years ago

I like this one..
ysabetwordsmith

Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

July 26 2016, 21:48:46 UTC 4 years ago

I'm happy to hear that. It's a fun society. I like wanderers. We already had a terrestrial one in this setting, so I was pleased to get a request for a nautical one.
siliconshaman

Re: Thank you!

siliconshaman

July 26 2016, 21:50:53 UTC 4 years ago

I don't suppose their tech level is up to airships?
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

July 26 2016, 21:56:16 UTC 4 years ago

I don't know. *ponder* Lighter-than-air craft are relatively easy to build with early technology, so balloons or blimps are plausible. Airplanes or flying cities, probably not. They also have magic, or at least some people/places do.

Prompt for it if you want it. This could be an amusing addition to "unexpected SCIENCE ensues" if people were not trying to invent anything or were trying to invent something totally different (such as a more efficient clothes dryer) and suddenly found themselves aloft. How do you get down safely? :D
siliconshaman

Re: Thank you!

siliconshaman

July 26 2016, 22:02:42 UTC 4 years ago

Ooo... I think I have a notion... Ok, bookmarking the next fishbowl prompt.