The Golden Trap Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B C D E F G| On the flow of the deepest ocean He set his boat upon the restless water Hoping and hungry to catch a fish He cast his net a thousand times But found only salt and empty rope His eyes grew dim as the sun began to rise Let go let go a voice cried out Trapped in the depth of his heavy net A tail of a thousand shifting colors With a joyful heart he pulled his prize | A |
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| Let go let go she pleaded again For freedom I will grant your every whim I'll show you islands built of treasure Seven rising suns and seven falling moons They journeyed deep into the emerald sea His heart glancing at her unearthly beauty Her hair dancing to the rhythm of the waves For the first of my wishes three I want to wrap my mouth around yours My tongue tasting the salt of your lips | B |
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| And for the second of my wishes three Make melodic love beneath the moonlight Let me feel your touch upon my soul Reaching the secrets of the deep His heart grew wild and astonished A land of gold struck his greedy eyes For the last of my wishes three That I outlive the ancient mountains That my name be carried on the wind That birds sing of my endless wealth And kings of power bow to serve me | C |
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| She leapt from the binding of his net Skimming the surface of the rolling ocean Her colorful tail a flash against the blue He reached for the waves with trembling hands To catch the hem of her shimmering trail But the ocean pulled back like a closing door Leaving him king of the shifting sands The jewels at his feet grew cold as ice As the horizon swallowed her silver sail | D |
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| Wonderful fish My time has come he cried Take me home let my legend begin My riches are waiting to be spent Foolish man she sang from the spray I owe you nothing for your wishes are granted I gave you the crown of a thousand years And wealth that the tides cannot wash away So reign in your kingdom of glitter and bone Where no one shall hear when the Great King speaks | E |
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| He clutched a handful of emerald dust And watched as it slipped through his fingers like rain No ship would arrive for a man who is wind No subjects would bow to his mountain of gain For the mermaid s kiss was a beautiful lie A golden cage beneath a sapphire sky | F |
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| He sits on a throne of jagged coral stone Wrapping his arms 'round his chest of glass A king of the salt a lord of the tide With a heart that beats for a thousand years Watching the horizon for a flash of scales And washing his gold in a river of tears | G |
Afe Tosin Shola
(C) All Rights Reserved. Poem Submitted on 01/15/2021
Poet's note: The Golden Trap
The story begins with a desperate fisherman—a man at the end of his rope, physically and metaphorically. When he catches a creature of "unearthly beauty," his desperation turns instantly into hubris.
The poem moves from a scene of capture to a scene of seduction, and finally to a scene of abandonment. The mermaid acts as a mirror; she doesn't actually harm the man, she simply gives him exactly what he asks for, knowing that his human ego is too blinded by greed to phrase his wishes wisely.
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Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
About The Golden Trap
The Golden Trap is a poem by Afe Tosin Shola. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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