The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Challenges
    • Challenge Archives
  • Ebooks
  • Prizes
  • Book Shelf
    • Ekphrastic Book Shelf
    • Contributors' Book Shelf
    • TERcets Podcast
  • Workshops
  • Give
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • About/Masthead

Nantucket West, by Sterling Warner

4/6/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
Whale Destroying Whaling Ship, by American School (USA) c. 1875

Nantucket West

By the time I finished reading Moby Dick, I’d think about whales 24/7: harpooning leviathans, slicing them into pieces, and melting down the blubber. Thank god Cindy convinced me to chill and take her to the Bloedel Floral Conservatory in Vancouver, British Columbia. Under the triodetic dome, my life changed for the better as I immersed myself in jungle plants and listened to exotic birds singing and scolding onlookers.

That night, we celebrated Cindy’s 22nd birthday at the Gotham Steakhouse. All signs pointed to a romantic conclusion to the perfect day. Oddly, when her rare prime rib dinner arrived, Cindy methodically carved ample fat at both ends of the 24-ounce cut. Next, she began to feast on the warm, juicy marble.

Hey! I was cool. I acted amused. I watched her roll her eyes and savor her favorite meat. Then she forked a white hunk of fat in my direction and ordered, “Open wide!” Obligingly, I chewed on the tasty suet.  However, after only ten seconds, Ahab beckoned. Next, I began to hear salt water waves lap against the Pequod’s hull, smell pungent whale blubber boiling in try-pots, and envision buckets of spermaceti being decanted in casks. Unwittingly, Cindy, sent me back aboard with Melville.

Sterling Warner


A Washington- based author, poet, educator, and Push Cart Nominee, Sterling Warner’s works have appeared in such literary magazines, journals, and anthologies as the Atherton Review, Street Lit, the Shot Glass Journal and Metamorphoses.  Warner’s volumes of poetry include Rags and Feathers, Without Wheels, ShadowCat, Edges, Memento Mori, and Serpent’s Tooth: Poems. His first collection of fiction, Masques: Flash Fiction & Short Stories, debuted in August 2020. ​
1 Comment
Scott Rudolph
4/9/2021 02:26:23 pm

Brings back memories....Melville haunted me during college!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    The Ekphrastic Review
    Picture
    Current Prompt
    COOKIES/PRIVACY
    This site uses cookies to deliver your best navigation experience this time and next. Continuing here means you consent to cookies. Thank you.
    Join us on Facebook:
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture



    ​
    ​Archives
    ​

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Lorette C. Luzajic theekphrasticreview@gmail.com 

  • The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Challenges
    • Challenge Archives
  • Ebooks
  • Prizes
  • Book Shelf
    • Ekphrastic Book Shelf
    • Contributors' Book Shelf
    • TERcets Podcast
  • Workshops
  • Give
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • About/Masthead