A Three Millenium Tour
written by: Ken Gosse
Good Prince Wenceslas (a new suit, with his tailors)
sailed off with a small wooden crew—
ten times ten six-foot whalers
(well-known Penzance sailors)
though most didn’t know what to do.
With some this and some that plus a tit for each tat
and a cowardly dragon he knew,
Tweedles Dee and br’er Dum
helped in reaching the sum
of the ballast for their wooden shoe.
Being wood, a good carpenter’s needed to mend
any damages throughout the voyage;
a fortuitous lend
was his good walrus friend
who’d ensure that their course had clear buoyage.
They christened her “Minnow,” but storms would soon winnow
the chaff of their fine fearless crew.
Though sailors would float
to their very last mote,
that would leave in the brink quite a few.
But brave dragon Custard would soon have them mustered,
held strong by the strength of his will,
led by one who oft’ blustered
but never was flustered,
the Great Captain, Barnacle Bill.
Many long hours tossed, often fearing they’re lost,
it was quite a tempestuous fray,
but their captain (well sauced)
had them cowered and bossed
and suggested a holiday stay.
Once land was in reach, from their breach on the beach
where they parked, they debarked for a walk.
It was not what they planned—
just deserts on demand
never are—their best pitch was a balk.
But not all news was bad because some of them had
movie cameras to document whales,
so they filmed every word,
every deed seen or heard
(but at night, well, they didn’t tell tales).
They made some pilots and each made them smile—
it’s too bad that they never returned.
“One Day at a Time”
with a lip-synching mime;
“This Is It” was the one song he’d learned.
It became quite a hit on the beach where they’d sit
and they’d watch, without reason or rhyme,
ever dreaming, they yearned
for the wealth never earned
as their isle sunk away over time.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Inspired by a Facebook post by Mikels Skele of his poem “The Voyage of the Wencesalus,” this is a parody of Eugene Field’s 1889 poem “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.” It borrows many characters and events from fact, fiction, fairy tales, poetry, television shows, and popular music. I can provide a detailed list, with links, if desired.
- A Three Millenium Tour - May 15, 2025
- Who’s Black and White and Red All Over? - December 19, 2024
- It Was The Monster Smash! - November 13, 2024
