After a Seascape

by Ken Holland

After a Seascape
(oil on canvas, attributed William Thornley, 19th c)

A ship caught in the storm-push of surf. Canvas inexplicably
unfurled. A palette of restless oil mimics the wind.
Clouds hold thick their stark flight. A small
portal of blue-stunned sky sits in
mockery. A foundering is
imminent. The shore
is thin. There the
faceless lean,
poised for
rescue or
plunder.