THE SHIP’S WATCHMAN
Soft tread of heel upon the deck;
And breeze as cold as dawn.
On lookout watch the time goes slow;
For sweetheart he shall mourn.
The watchman treads the lonely deck,
His pace will dance to rhyme -
With masts and spars that roll and pitch;
When bound for tropic clime.
Oh, Lord! The night is long, so long;
The lonely watch that keeps;
The night parade while stars cascade,
And shipmates restless sleep.
Tonight there's no horizon,
Where the dark sea meets the sky.
I wish that land was close to hand,
To hear the seagull's cry.
To watch from ocean twilight:
Till the breaking of the dawn,
While dolphin trails and pods of whales;
Keep company till the morn’
THE STORM
Forked lightning flashed above me and it lit a fearful sight;
Of crashing waves and washing decks and torn sails put to flight.
And through the crashing thunder - designed to scare I'm sure;
I screamed back my defiance; I even called for more.
For this was I and Nature; in combat we were locked.
I raised my arm up to the sky: "Give me more!" I mocked.
Again the lightning fizzled and came straight to my heart.
I begged the storm to give its all and now it played its part.
Excitement grew inside me, though mortal I am free;
And when I saw the stalk of death I would not let it be.
For I would go down fighting; no, my spirit wouldn't break.
All that it could give me, Aye! And more I knew I'd take.
"What's the matter with you?" I screamed back in my rage:
"Is this the best that you can do in this the war you wage?
Unleash your bolts of lightning and let your thunders roar -
And when you've done the worst you can you'll find I'll still want more."
Again the lightning dazzled as I raised my rain-soaked arm:
"Come!" I called contemptuously. "This is but a calm!"
The gods unleashed their fury yet my boat and I were one:
A clutch of wood to others, but to me it was a son.
I fought back burning teardrops to see my ship so torn:
Broken spars and rigging, yet did it look forlorn?
No never, quite impossible; imbued with fight like I:
It fought the waves, the wind and spray and joined me in my cry.
"Let your lightning's crackle and let your thunders roar!"
The wind rose to a fearful shriek and at the rigging tore.
It vented its full fury and all hell did it set free;
I fought the wind and lightning and my boat fought with the sea.
I shook my fist with fury as my shirt tore from my back;
A crested wave engulfed us both, I heard the lightning crack.
Through the mighty heavens the thunder lasted long;
I held on to the sheets and mast and then gave forth with song.
I had never sung that song before, composed I know not where.
I sung of heroes dead and gone, of valiance deed and dare.
And then I had it beaten and its fury was all gone.
The sea had lost its passion and its worst had now been done.
What a sight I must have been as on the thwarts I lay;
Exhausted yet still noble - for man had won the day.
If I had not defeated the raging storm that night;
If I had failed to hold the siege against its raging might -
And death had come to claim me, as yes it might have done;
I would have gone down fighting, and still I would have won.
My spirit is unbroken, for that is mine alone.
The earth can have the rest of me; the flesh, the blood and bone.
I started life as a 16-year old sailor. Britain had a Merchant Navy back in those days. It was a fabulous career; filled with excitement it was opportunity to sea (sic) so many different countries. By the time I was 22 years of age there were few parts of the world I hadn’t visited. It was a dangerous occupation but that was part of the attraction. Isn’t it always for imprudent young men?