The difference between a rampart and a wave
Is the discrepancy when looking back:
Is this an overlook or an attack?
The crests that liberate or enslave.
The proper function of a rampart
Is to stand without moving, to uphold
Still lifes and be a socle for the bold,
Ignoring coves where undertows have tampered
Under the cornices and carved out their plancher.
To hollow the rock they’re coming, to strop, to whet;
The sheath of foam gives off its deadly lambert
Candela delta of the wave and rampart;
The waves advance: their essence is their threat.
As cliffs are flows solidified into defiance —
Friend or foe, fight or flight — unseen parishioners’
Call and response in battlements of giants
Will turn all bodies into listeners.
Still Lifes – The plural of “life” is “lives,” but the plural of “still life” (a painting of inanimate objects) is “lifes.”
Socle – (Pronounced SOO-kal, rhymes with “local”) A square block serving as the base of a column or pedestal.
Plancher – (Pronounced PLAN-cher, rhymes with “rancher”) In architecture, the same thing as a plancier (pronounced plan‑SEER) which is the underside of a cornice; a soffit.
Lambert – (Pronounced LAM-bert) A measure of surface brightness, named for German physicist Johann H. Lambert (1728‑1777).
Candela –(Pronounced in various ways: kan‑DEL‑a, as in “dell”; kan‑DEE‑la, as in “deal”; kan‑DAY‑la, as in “day”; and KAN‑dela) A unit of luminous intensity. The candela and the lambert are related mathematically: One lambert equals 1/π candelas per square centimeter.
Delta – A play on two meanings: 1) an incremental difference in quantity; and 2) an alluvial tidal inlet.
Battlement – A parapet built on top of a wall with indentations for defense or decoration.