Helmsman William Lee (From Pirates Songs) Poem by Isabel Szurlej

Once upon a time sailing ship
Was beached on ghostly island.
Helmsman William Lee was that special
Who didn't die in the wreck
But he didn't live either.
He stuck for years among the worlds
Doomed to sail through an endless storm.
Perpetuity haunted him remained his body
Intact though his soul became a skeleton.
No one remembers now how
He ended up in our brig.
Lee said he was a trained seaman
Although none of us have heard of him.
His steering skills were supreme as
He was leaning on the sun and
The horizon line (With sailing charts) .
He sailed from east to west with his
Eyes closed, never using ded reckoning.
However, navigating from north to south was
Always hard, even for this remarkable sailor
Because ruling water is moving in the
Opposite direction and there is no land-marks.

Only immortals face no fears on angry seas.
In the upcoming tempest winds rip sails
To shreds and you are going into
The enormous surge where here, in between
The devil and the sea awaits dire death.
Finally, it is her fee.
You can beg for the mercy but
Be aware the ocean is not merciful.
William Lee knew when a rainstorm would
Come and how long it will last.
He set the vessel closest
To the oncoming waves while as we
Wrapped ropes around our waists.
Tons of waters were falling on the prow
But the steersman kept the crew alive.
It was terrifying and intriguing in the
Same breath on how he dealt with storms.
Each seafarer felt that there
Was something that indicated his
Transcendence, but nobody mentioned it aloud.