Two Ships Built To Explore Poem by Mark Heathcote

Two sloops are we on a painted sea,
With one gun-deck only eighteen guns,
We weren't a sloop-of-war
More like two ships built to explore.

Words are economic:
Sails more expedient than any anatomic-
Riggings the bodies' vessels haven't anchored
We sailed around each other's maritime shore.

Put our hands to the oars, when winds failed
We came alongside each other.
Kisses by starlight prevailed
Without high casualties any cannon fodder.

Stern to starboard we sailed with the lord
High seas and low,
We chartered for the new world unexplored —
Leaving harbour, we chartered for archipelagos.