The Black Freighter

The Cormorant was the darkest ship,

As dark as a ship could be,

Not only the paint was pitted black

From the funnels to the sea,

But deep inside in its rusted gloom

In the echoes from its shell,

It was like a monster roamed abroad

Released from the depths of hell.

It roared and echoed by day and night

As the boilers turned the screw,

Lurching across every wave that might

Try to break its hull in two,

It was laden down with a thousand tons

Of a cargo that made it groan,

While breakers slapped its quivering sides

As it made its way back home.

The Captain stood on the shuddering bridge,

A man with a heart of steel,

He tried to control this raging beast

As he lashed himself to the wheel,

He gave no quarter to any man

Who would shirk, avoid his task,

But called the crew to witness his due

As the man was soundly lashed.

Down in the depths of the engine room

The firemen shovelled coal,

Each shovel sprayed like a black dismay

In the light of that glowing hole,

And steam built up on the pressure gauge

Of each boiler, one and two,

As men would fret, while running in sweat,

To do what they had to do.

The seas built up and the rain came down

As the Cormorant rolled and swayed,

Then lightning flashed and it ran to ground

Like an imp in a masquerade,

It left three dead on the afterdeck,

They hurried to help them there,

But the captain roared, ‘Throw them overboard,

We’ve more than enough to spare.’

A mutter grew up among the crew

As dark as the bosun’s hat,

I never knew what the crew would do

So I wasn’t in on that.

But the Captain disappeared from the bridge

And the wheel was swinging free,

With the Cormorant broadside to the waves

At mercy of wind and sea.

They said it must be a miracle

When we finally entered port,

The bilge half full of water, they said,

And the Captain fell overboard.

But the ship was done, had made its last run

As the fires went out in the hull,

Then raking through the mountain of ash

I found the late Captain’s skull.

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Helena]

A very graphic and interesting poem. It seemed to flow so easily from your pen, I don't know how you do it!

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good tale written my friend. I liked the story and situations you create in the poetry. Poor Captain had a bad ending. Thank you David for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[T.S. Sky]

This is a interesting read.