Who is it now that desires the Moon
our seaborne legs in frenzied flight
amid royal swells of late afternoon
deadlights shut with woodchipped oars
another shrieking typhoon of ironball war
All hang the dogwatch for the spiders man yowls
to carving dan tower and both heave aft
straight down the word of the nest, come right
shouts woodleg nails, cut loose the ballast
up colors, short gunners, and chancred best
What simmering wagless nit heads stern on
full-suit to cripple we-merry grubs,
to burst us at our fresh patches then
crack our gunwhales to gullet out smartly these
dangling yards for ripe shark chum or bail
Jack kick the low sprawlers for crimps and good luck
run turns double up for fair winded sheets
then lay on the spread so it paints just the same
for a bullet passed or bullet gained, no slack lads
to no man's land we'll be headin' back
Dead man in the center will I sing aloud
then goad this nag over a dozen blind reefs
till our keel is stripsharp as a bluecrab claw
our split tail, bilge, in this lagoon lit squall
taken down by the sound of our envious tune
For racktalk, rumdreams and jolly old braggarts
this rough splintered deck holds well enough
cruel waister insults a fathom deep, aye
know now, new sir of the shiny button
without sand you won't stand, by our maggot forgotten
and we ain't seen none, since yesternoon...
...try the Moon
Mr. Bell: Har! ! ! A delicious mix of Disney and Carroll, RL Stevenson and Kipling. I even hear some Pound mixed in for good measure. Wondrous good fun, full of treasure to plunder, if ye choose. Many thanks! -G
Hi Tailor.....delicious indeed, as Gary says......what a feast....I've been, uh, singing this lovely treasure aloud to myself.....and anyone else who'll listen....think I hear a neighbor driving up.....they're in for a treat......thanks! ! Take care and be well, Love, D.
This is quite magnificent A salty, blokey, 'Boys Own' sort of Ballad with just the right amount of lunacy to place it in a category all its own. I can see Masefield, Milne and Coleridge all nodding in approval. My favorite verse is: 'Dead man in the center will I sing aloud then goad this nag over a dozen blind reefs till our keel is stripsharp as a bluecrab claw our split tail, bilge, in this lagoon lit squall taken down by the sound of our envious tune' And the title - simply brilliant! Love, Allie ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Wowser! This is brilliant! Felt as though I was standing on the deck of some old pirate ship.... vibrant and chilling, needs much more than one read to truly take in it's splendour. Fabulous writing. HG: -) xx
Tailor, I must have deleted my original comment - think it was by an estranged alias - so must reaffirm my allegiance to his wonderful imaginative piece of poetry.... there's a world of talent and dedication in evidence here, as always, as anyone who tried to copy your style would soon discover - 'poetry for nitwits' indeed. Like Will and Tara I think this is brilliant - a luxuriously rich and enriching piece of poetry. jim
Tailor, this is quite simply absolutely brilliant! Will B pointed me towards it and boy, was he right. One of the most original pieces I have read of late, for sure. t x
Glorious rich effusion of word and image. Stunning, really. HIgh imagination, indeed. I'll no doubt re-read. Overwhelming (over the whelm) poem.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I think that the manner in which you use language in this poem is great. Usually I give poems written today in ye olde English a wide berth. People seem to think that because Shelly, Byron, etc. made a name for themselves using the language in such a manner will make them ‘poetical’. This poem of yours, however, suggests that you understand the language well enough to know that it doesn’t have to come over all lovey-dovey, but that it can be dirty and gritty. ‘Jack kick the low sprawlers for crimps and good luck’ is such an example of what I mean. The use of this vernacular, in this poem is really great and presents the reader with something beyond their experience, even though the theme could be simple humdrum. An excellent piece of writing and an intelligently composed poem.