The Defender of the Old Ways

This is a revision I needed to do for my poetry class at UND--this was reborn from my annual birthday sonnet, "Metamorphosis."

 

The Defender of the Old Ways by Kirby Lund

 

I defended this island of virtue

With every ounce of strength that I had,

But it was all in vain. Bottled ships, through

Each inlet, passed; all of them iron clad

With roaring cannons took the harbor in

force. I retreated back to the long ridge,

But the banners of Captain Morgan, thin

Against the open sky, waved on the bridge

Of his battleship. I held him back for

The entire day, but during the night

He continued shelling the broken shore;

With nothing left, I surrendered the fight.

 

I gave up my island; my fleet was sunk—

This was the first time I’d ever been drunk.