Full Hold
written by: Brad Osborne
Twenty-three old salts set sail that day
And to a man a well-seasoned crew
Off to New Guinea is what they say
With fair winds and skies a cloudless blue
A touch of rain but nary a gale
They made near seven leagues ‘fore morning
Pulling the ropes and tending the sail
Gathering southern breezes warming
“Land ho” shouts the watch within a week
A pod of dolphins now bow’s escort
As the horizon reveals island peak
And the anchor is dropped in her port
The cunning Cap’n barters in trade
Keen rewards wait for his greedy lot
And when the last palm be spit, deal made
Nearly three tons of goods had they got
They jammed the hold full from stem to stern
And lashed large crates along sturdy rail
Working hard, dreams of what they would earn
Making anchor aweigh and full sail
The tides were right and breeze in the tails
Red sky backdrop to sunrise mornings
And old seafarers know of the tales
That start with the oldest of warnings
But sail they did, heading for home port
By noon the sky had darkened with form
A sign of Neptune’s fate they did court
As sea pitched and rolled with coming storm
Overladen and heavy the ship
In the winds she fought to stay upright
But in the waves strong lashings did slip
Cap’n feared they would not make the night
Proud sea beat and tossed wooden old girl
As water found a path to her keel
Mates set to the task of sails to furl
But the Cap’n could already feel
Their greed had overladen their boat
He knew the weight would be why they died
They fought the sea just to stay afloat
As mighty waves crashed over the side
When morning came on calm ocean blue
Flotsam and jetsam marked exact spot
Where lost to sea was Cap’n and crew
Davey Jones’ locker now where they rot
If not for their rampant, zealous greed
With us, to this day, they may be still
But when wave and wind are at once freed
It is sea Gods who make known their will
- Unafraid of the Dark - April 8, 2024
- Poetic Injustice - December 8, 2023
- I Was Never Brave - August 15, 2023
