Immigrants

[TranquillityBase]

Immigrants in the New World

An ominous red sun rises
on the fringes
of the eastern horizon.

A wary band of fishermen
look up from their nets,
bewildered by the strange sight

of wooden crosses, laced with ropes,  weren't the crosses on their sails?
that tower above majestic ships
looming over the shore.                      and wouldn't they loom over the horizon, or the bay, rather than as close as the shore?

As the salty morning mist
parts, two smaller boats
close in from the breakers

bearing peculiar, pale men
with shiny headgear, who unfurl   shining?
bright, colorful banners,        maybe something more specific about the decoration of the banners?

loudly laying claim
in the unfamiliar language
of an unknown god.

Hi Mark,

Just a few suggestions.  One of my favorite history books, Conquest by Hugh Thomas, has some marvellous chapters early on about the conquistadors' initial meetings with the coastal inhabitants of Mexico.  Of course your poem aims to be more universal than that particular event, which probably repeated itself in many places, and achieves that.

Tim