The Turtle
The first submarine used in combat was named "The Turtle." It was built by David Bushnell, and it was first launched in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. It was about 10 feet (3.0 m) long, 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, and about 3 feet (0.9 m) wide, and it was made of two wooden shells covered with tar and reinforced with steel bands. It could move at a speed of three miles per hour, and it held enough air for one person to remain submerged for 30 minutes. It was used to place explosives on the underside of British ships - all attempts failed. It was sunk in 1776.
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You know
You know,
I got so used to singing for you
Your agonizing cry for silence
Took me by surprise.
But what more could you want?
I love you
I love you
I sang it with such grace.
But
You don't want it anymore?
What do you want then?
I hate you
I hate you?
I will make it sound beautiful for you.
Perhaps it's the lyrics you're tired of
And not m-
It's me?
No no,
This simply can't be.
Maybe I will reward you
With silence.
Maybe you'll like it then.
You always made silence
So beautiful.
I can't remember the last time
I heard you sing.
Self-Portraits
A brush on canvas
And a figure
Begins to emerge
Lushly red
Like fragrant roses
Words entwined
To form their stems
One heart begins to beat
Again
As brush dips back in paint
Fleshing out the figure
No –
Now two
That appear before
The watchful eyes
More words appear
Circling
Reaching
Drawing the figures close
In paint and ink
They merge and join
Waiting
Breathlessly
To see what will finally
Emerge
(c) 2017 Miriam Ruff
LOVE SPELL
The witch lived in the woods under a bridge by a busy highway.
I hitched a ride from a truck driver, and thank him graciously
The door creaked and meowed upon entering her home
Amber, indigo, green lights illuminated the rooms
Bottles of tinctures and extracts
Naked lady candles
Mortar and pestles
And the smell of sandalwood and pathchouli pervaded the air
I was marveled at all the little nick nacks that seemed to haunt the place with its magical mysterious charm
Gems in velvet satchets, daggers carved from the barks of thick oak trees
Books on how to cure heart ache, and erase someone from your memory
There seemed to be a remedy for everything
And then out hobbled a little fat lady
With short scraggly grey hair and eyes so silver like moonlight
I could see myself shining in them
She knew I was coming, never said a word
Handed me a long slender purple bottle and shooed me out of the door
I hitched another ride from a driver passing by and demanded he took me to the falls
Again, thanking him graciously
Rocks I stumbled over, scraping my hands and knees
Until I approached a drizzling spring, accompanied by the birds and the bees
I sealed my mouth over the lip of the bottle
And gurgled out "I LOVE YOU!"
There were more rocks to climb, with my heart in glass
The mountain I perched myself upon had legs of water, a place to drop my bottle and contaminate it with my love in all of its purple magical splendor
Drop!
Falling, falling, falling
Splash......
The spell was unleashed, at last
I will not be sleeping alone anymore.