Sail On. Poem by Michael Walker

Steamships, powered by propellers and combustion engines,
First sailed the seven seas in the early nineteenth century.
They gradually replaced the old, romantic sailing ships,

Which caught wind currents to progress on the long voyage.
Steamships occupied the early nineteenth century and were later
Joined by ocean liners with more powerful, screw-propeller propulsion.

Ocean liners offered faster transatlantic crossings to rich and poor,
Separating them into First Class, Second Class and Steerage on the 'Titanic';
Different social worlds which were sealed off from one another.

Most international travellers now fly in jetliners, some the'jet set'.
Jets have taken away most potential passengers of ocean liners,
Flying the Great Circle in a straight line, but subject to accidents,

Just as ships are, but not as frequently as in earlier times.
Ships offer entertainment at night and a blue-water pool by day,
So that ocean cruises are leisurely yet exciting for all ages.

- 12 August,2018.
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