OUT OF THE DEEPS: THE KRAKEN WAKES

Phil Roberts 1957 (Melbourne)



In the days of old, till the ‘70s
The story of the kraken was regarded as myth,
But as fishing nets hauled the monsters up
Reluctant sceptics have had to admit:

Admit to the fact of a tentacled brute
Pulling sailors from lifeboats to eat,
In both the World Wars survivors reported
The sheer horrors floating up from the deeps.

Both Allies and Axis soldiers
Told tales of the monsters they’d seen,
Of giant tentacles pulling men to their deaths
Great, lidless eyes filling survivors with fear.

With a great pointed, cone-like head
Like horrid Lovecraftean beasts,
Devouring blood-soaked sailors
As they partake in unholy feasts.

Now the great kraken of old
Is just called a giant squid,
Though that cannot dampen the horror
Of the human feasting they did.

In the years since 1973
The kraken dredged up number 30 or 35,
And although interesting in a horrific way
I’m relieved none have been captured alive.

THE END
© Copyright 2021 Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

About this poem

A how poem about evil from the deep. Dedicated to the memory of John Wyndham 1903-1969.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on January 11, 2009

Submitted by PHIL_ROBERTS on June 09, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

50 sec read
20

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXXX XXXA BXXX XCBC XDXD XXXX XXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 956
Words 167
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3

Phil Roberts

I turn 65 on the 31st of January 2022. I love cats, rock music, and horror fiction and poetry more…

All Phil Roberts poems | Phil Roberts Books

7 fans

Discuss the poem "OUT OF THE DEEPS: THE KRAKEN WAKES" with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "OUT OF THE DEEPS: THE KRAKEN WAKES" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/102250/out-of-the-deeps:-the-kraken-wakes>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    12
    days
    22
    hours
    1
    minute

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not _______ both
    A travel
    B see
    C follow
    D choose