For NaPoWriMo Day 25 (yes, I am running behind!) we are challenged to take a line from an existing poem and use it as our first line. But…we must take the poem in a completely different direction than the original.
I took the first line from “The Fall of Rome” by W. H. Auden, “The piers are pummeled by the waves.” Auden’s poem offers a dark view of the state of civilization. While I do not disagree with his assessment, my poem takes inspiration from a restaurant in Sausalito. From that perspective, life was joyous, not despairing, and the view from the piers was quite sunny!
the piers are pummeled by the waves
each hard, rhythmic slap
in time with the beat of jazz
the miles of blue I hear
and see before me
gulls dip and dive for bread
honking thanks as they take wing
sailboats glide
laughing and waving
sun cuts through the fog
sparkles off our glasses
bread, brie, fruit, wine
all these are ours
and the ocean, too
for one long day
life is good
~~~~~
mezzojan 
Interesting you should pick W H Auden. When we cleaned my mothers house out, I had to get rid of more books than you can imagine. I hated so to do it but just don’t have the room. One that I really hated to part with was the Collected Works of W H Auden. My favorite is Dover Beach.
I don’t know that one. I googled it, but only came up with Matthew Arnold’s poem by that name. It’s tough to part with items that have sentimental value–doubly tough to part with books.
My bad. It WAS Matthew Arnold. Should have looked it up.
Well, I didn’t know enough about Auden’s complete works to know whose it was. But whenever I read his poetry, it really has an impact. My favorite quote, which I don’t believe is from a poem (just something he said) is, “We are here to do good unto others. What the others are here for, I do not know.”