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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Fairy Tales & Fantasy
- Subject: Poems & Songs
- Published: 09/15/2023
Strange things happen at sea
Born 1959, M, from Stoke, United KingdomHome, said the sailor, it’s been a long trip
Two months I was stuck on that ship
‘‘Twas a good job it sunk, that I could say
Though I’d not have said that when we got underway
The captain was incoherent with booze
Had to be carried aboard by some of his crew
He wasn’t to be seen the day we set sail
Curing his hangover with a flagon of ale
The first mate knew nought and wanted to do less
I tell you the boat was in a real mess
We left the harbour at the crack of dawn
With a hold full of rum hidden under baskets of corn
Hoping to get into Scarborough under no moon
To avoid dancing to the customs man tune
The Atlantic storms come out of nowhere
Even the best can get caught unaware
We was battered and tossed by the sea and the rain
The wind howling around as if the ship shrieked its pain
With a crack the mainmast suddenly fractured and fell
Taking with it the bridge and captain as well
The ship spun without steerage and anything not tied
Slid over the deck and over the side
Taking with them anyone who got in the way
Disappearing in the sea and lost to the spray
Old Jack Bean hung from the ships rail
As the ship yawed his grip started to fail
I struggled to a locker that some rope was on
But turned around and he was gone
The storm passed as quickly as it had come
But by then terrible damage was done
Twelve of us on board when we’d got underway
Just three of us survived that awful day
The sails had been ripped and now long gone
Anyway no mast was left to hang them on
The ship lay becalmed on an eerie flat sea
A silence that suddenly seemed strange to me
We stood on the deck, all three, side by side
And cried.
That night I watched the sun descend
It’s red dusk light seemed to send
A pathway from us to its deep orange core
For nine more dead souls to explore
I quietly prayed for their release
And hoped they had found their peace
For three long days and even longer nights
We watched for ships or for ships lights
For all the ship was still afloat
Another storm would sink the boat
But strange things happen at sea
I ask you to suspend judgment on me
I promise you I will not deceive
But this is going to be hard to believe.
On that day the whales appeared
This whole story just got weird
There were three whales circling around us
Both playful and I think, curious
Each was half the size of our ship
Their tails could sink us with just one flip
The suddenly we felt a gentle push
And the ship trembled under us
We realised that the ship was in motion
Finally moving in this empty ocean
Then we realised that on either side
A whale accompanied us along for the ride
We looked to see where the third whale had gone
To our surprise he was pushing us along
Every few hours the whales changed position
Taking turns on this strange mission
For two days we were pushed towards an unknown destination
Carried along by these strange cetacean
Then in the dark of the night we heard a strange call all around
As the whales communicated in their sad mournful sound
The ship slowed to a rest in the dark of the night
Then suddenly a light pierced the night
A lighthouse appeared on our starboard side
In shock we just broke down and cried
We waited until the sun raised its head
And found ourselves drifting near flamborough head
Of the whales there was no sign, we couldn’t believe
That they had steered us home through treacherous seas
Shortly after the lifeboat arrived and tried to give us a tow
But our boat started to break up and filled with water below
We stood on the lifebout and watched with dismay
As our boat disappeared under the waters of the bay
Now I’ve told you my story, I guess I’m all done
So buy me a beer and go have your fun
Tell al your friends about the old sailers like me
You’ll never understand, strange things happen at sea.
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