The Captain's Kist

Kist: A chest used for storing clothes and linen ...

The Captain’s Kist

Made of finest ocotea porosa timber

With substantial brass lock and key

Stood container for Captain’s eyes only

Absolutely not for the rough crew to see

The fame of this secretive article

Spread like locust from coast to coast

There wasn’t an inquisitive sailor

Who wasn’t completed engrossed

‘Twas challenge to good to be ignored

By clever young helmsman named Ford

So he planned volunteering his services

On vessel mysterious cache was hoard

Monotonous miserable months at sea

Saw our seafarer no closer his goal

And willpower was the only endowment

That was keeping his sanity whole

One evening arose unexpected opportunity

With Captain debarked in tavern off shore

Jaunty guards asleep on honey rough rum

Ford slipped into unlocked cabin’s door

At the back of compartment a puzzling Kist

An exotic furnishing chest not legend myth

All skill was called upon picking the catch

Luckily Ford was also a trained blacksmith

Tumblers turned slickly springing the clasp

Discovery near as Ford discarded the lock

Flabbergasted the lantern revealing no treasure

For all he was found was fancy frilled frock

It appeared exaggerated fine riches boasted

Just a ruse to deflect a possible pressure

Throughout the ports of the vast seven seas

Hiding secret the Captain was just a cross dresser

Phillozofee @ 2017

Reviews

[emmajoy]

'Monotonous miserable months at sea
Saw our seafarer no closer his goal
And willpower was the only endowment
That was keeping his sanity whole'

Wonderful meter, great tale, great touches of this and that. Plus, my laughter at its finish was so loud, surely you heard it!

[Phill Oz O'fee]

Oh .... that was you .... and all the way from Darzet .. bless you :-)'s times a million x

[emmajoy]

Should have added more about the flow of the tale within the poem, the past style of language.. but - the laugh put an end to that!

[Suchita]

lovely words, usage of language is so beautiful, difficult to compose yet easy to understand. how nice.Loved reading it.humorous ending too, divine

[Tony Jordan]

'honey rough rum', 'tumblers turned slickly' - magical turns of phrase delighting the wordy in me Phil and a witty tale too. Excellent word that - Kist - well done.

I quite fancy that the myth of booty might have been a rumour put about by a 'disgruntled' cabin boy to draw pirates in and ultimately make public the captain's proclivities out of malice.

[Einstein Noodle]

fun time with the story .. and thank you for the education on the Kist and ocotea porosa ..i think the story line holds throughout .. quatrains and rhyme are so not easy .. nice surprise closing ..i suppose there were many a Captain Jim Dandy ;)
E.

[Phill Oz O'fee]

Some historians claim that the original ’Pirates of the Caribbean’ (pirate crews who docked, traded, and intermittently lived in port towns in the West Indies during the 17th century) had entire communities where homosexual couples were considered perfectly acceptable. It appears, pirates had a form of civil partnership called ‘matelotage’, a marriage-like institution wherein two male pirates shared their ... entire … you know … think I’ll just call it ‘booty’! Additionally, each would name the other as his sole inheritor. Talk about progressive ……. :-)

[Einstein Noodle]

male lovers have a history that goes back a long way ..and social attitudes have run the gamut of opinion and belief .. shared their booty indeed :) Errol Flynn was one of my heroes as a young man ..so shattered to learn that his manhood image was just that and his stand for justice was leaning over to Nazism .. how cruel eh?! but we sail on ... ever searching the horizon ;)))